Consumed by Force
by Ash Phoenix
Summary: One organisation, intent on restoring peace and prosperity to their city ... Or are they? As two ex-officers go on to unravel a case, they realise that not all may be what it seems.
1. Mission Briefing

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything of FFVIII such as the characters, etc. But I DO own Jamie Kramer and the Shumi Garden Funding Program.

An unknown figure had seated himself in front of his computers and technical equipment of all sorts. He began to type ferociously at the keyboard, visiting the different matrixes and websites. And there he was.

The Shumi Garden Funding Program.

Again, he began typing ferociously left, right, and center. He began to watch as his plan was going smoothly and he saw another random name. With a smirk, he knew what he was going to do.

His next victim.

After transferring the data and the money from the victim's account to his, the figure stood up from his chair and began to make his way back to his base. He drew the letter 'S' on the webpage that he had just hacked, because he always left his mark. That's why they always sent _her_ after him, and with another smirk, he albeitly waited for that day.

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Cid had called her early in the morning, and Hyne, she just _hated _the morning times. Jamie Kramer was not exactly a morning person and her grouchy movements and facial expression, that seemed like she wanted to strangle the next person she saw, proved otherwise.

Jamie made her way to the 1F elevator and just wanted to get this other with quickly. _Hyne, did he have to wake me up this early? How am I supposed to concentrate with the task that he's about to set to me, when I'm half dead? _She thought to herself.

When the elevator doors opened, to signal that she had reached her destination, she heard someone loudly talking on the other side.

"Can you believe this, Irvine? He's given me _all _this paperwork to do by Thursday. _Thursday_!" A chirpy girl known as Selphie exclaimed. "I mean, don't you think that that's short notice?"

"Selph, Selph, just calm down", Irvine sleekly said. "Look, just reason with him, tell him that you need more-" He started, but stopped when he caught sight of Jamie exiting the elevator.

"Well, _hello _Jamie", he flirtatiously remarked, but got Jamie's 'Death Glare' treatment and decided to stop at that. With a frightened look towards Jamie, he went into the elevator. Selphie, on the other hand, began to animatedly talk to Jamie.

"Hey, J, your father's really getting off-hand lately. Check out this bundle of paperwork. It's enough to even make the nerdiest nerd dizzy", she said, whilst making a googly-eyed face.

Even though Jamie hated waking up so early in the morning, there's something about Selphie that always cheers her up, no matter what time of the day it was.

With a giggle, Jamie said, "Well, Selphie, that's my father all right. I just hope that he doesn't send me on _another _lousy mission, because I don't feel quite the same after the last mission", she sighed, trying not to remember the moment.

Selphie smiled at the brunette whilst feeling slightly envious that Jamie even was allowed to go out, whilst Selphie had to sit inside, doing a vast majority of paperwork.

"Well, whatever mission he sends you on, I think that it'll be _miles _better than my day. Anyway, I better start on this, he's given me a deadline that's only 2 days away, and we all know how fussy he is about deadlines", Selphie grinned, and waved while she left. "See ya, J!"

"Yeah, bye", Jamie said, and walked towards his office. When she stopped outside his door, she hesitated slightly. _Oh Hyne, I hope that he's feeling generous today. _She thought to herself, and knocked at the Lieutenant's door.

She opened the door to Lieutenant Cid's office and saw him writing something on a piece of paper. When he heard the door open, Cid looked up from his paperwork and saw Jamie enter. With a smile, he organised the papers into a neat pile and sat in his formal stance.

"Ahem, Officer Jamie Kramer, it seems that he has struck again. Mr. S has hacked another account and has removed some more Gil, which he hopes to use for his own selfish purposes", Cid stated, and paced around his office after leaving his seat.

"The victim's name was Dr. Gordon Raymonds, organiser of the Shumi Garden Funding Program and scientist helping out with Esthar's latest experiment", he continued, reciting the details that he had read on his report.

"He had switched on his computer to check how the funds were going, but found out that 1,350,000 Gil had been stolen from the Funding Program and from his account. This happened at precisely….7:00am, which was 10 minutes before I had got the call from him."

Jamie listened to the details that Cid had given her. After all, every detail counts and got her one step closer to finding the hacker. "So sir, what _exactly _do you plan for me to do?" She asked.

"Today, I want you to visit Dr. Raymonds and talk to him. Ask him if he can provide you with any more details and visit the webpage. Tell him that you want to gain access to his account. Maybe Mr. S had left another mark, besides his initial, there", Cid said, whilst standing in front of his desk, hands behind his back.

Jamie nodded and saluted him. "Yes sir, I will try my best to find out about this 'Mr. S' and what he's up to, and I will report you with anything that I find", she said, in a formal tone.

Cid saluted her likewise. "Best of luck, Officer Kramer. May Hyne be with you", he said, smiling.

Jamie turned to leave, but Cid stopped her. "Oh by the way, Jamie, there is a surprise for you waiting outside. I'm sure you'll be gob smacked at what you'll find", Cid added, all formality left from his tone of voice, and his eyes twinkled with mystery.

Added to her eagerness of finding a top-notch hacker and throwing him in jail, Jamie also felt confused at what Cid said. When she went outside, however, she felt gob smacked at what she saw.

One of the most annoying gits of Balamb today, Squall Leonhart, sitting in a blue convertible car.


	2. Meeting the Man

When he saw that Jamie was speechless, he decided to break the silence. "Well, did you miss me that much?" Squall said, the shadow of a smirk hidden in his face.

Jamie then found her voice and raised an eyebrow at Squall's witty question. "Hah, don't get cocky, Leonhart, I didn't ask for you to come and drive me there", she said, annoyed that Cid would even _think_ that Squall's company was welcome here.

"Oh, didn't Daddy tell you? I'm not going to just drive you there, I'm going to accompany you there", Squall added, this time revealing a smirk marked on his face.

This time, Jamie _did _feel gob smacked, for the second time in one day.

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When Jamie finally gave in and sat in the car, next to Squall, he set off for their destination.

A few moments passed and Squall peered at Jamie. Her head was to the side and was leaning on the window and her eyes were closed. _She looks so peaceful, sleeping. Heh, exactly the opposite of what she is when she's awake. _He thought to himself.

They had reached the mansion, a few moments later, and Squall was just parking the car, when he decided that he should wake Jamie up.

With a nudge, he called "Hey, Sleeping Beauty, we're here now. Time to wake up", and nudged her again.

Jamie stirred slightly and groggily said "Huh? Are we there yet?" and she opened her eyes wearily.

Squall sighed. "Yeah, we're here now", and left the car. Jamie groggily followed suit, and the two of them were both outside the doctor's door.

Squall knocked on the door and he and Jamie waited for a while, when the door opened, revealing a pampered butler, about 40 or so years old. "Yes, can I help you sir?" He asked politely.

"Yes, you can. We come from the Balamb Police Department and we'd like to speak to Dr. Gordon Raymonds, please", Squall replied, with a similar accent to the butler's.

"Of course, sir. Come in", the butler said, opening the door further to allow the two of them inside.

"Ladies first", Squall said, gesturing for Jamie to go inside. Sparing him a look of disdain, Jamie entered the mansion, and Squall followed her.

The mansion had lots of artefacts and family heirlooms looming around the mansion, and the place was beautifully decorated. _Hmph, I bet this person's gonna be as posh as his butler. _Jamie thought to herself.

Jamie and Squall then saw the man, who they assumed to be Dr. Raymonds, descend down the marble staircase.

His suit was tidy and looked as if he had perfected it, by smoothing every crease and removing every crumb. His head was mostly bald, save for a couple of blond hairs. And his glasses were intact, and looked as if he had placed them into an angle he thought perfect.

_Did I just bet that this guy's as posh as his butler? No wait, now I know that he's posher. _Jamie thought to herself, and sat in a sofa, after Gordon had indicated for them to sit.

As soon as Squall had sat down in the sofa, next to Jamie, he faced Gordon, and began speaking. "So, Mr. Raymonds, you called for us here, I suppose? To discuss the events that had arisen the previous day, am I correct?"

Gordon Raymonds frantically nodded, and began reciting what happened. While he was reciting his story, Squall had put his hand in his pocket and had reached for his cell phone. Sneakily, he passed to phone to Jamie.

Confused, Jamie looked back at Squall and mouthed 'Who am I supposed to ring?' Then Squall glanced back at her and mouthed 'Irvine'.

Jamie made a sceptical face and looked back at the cell phone. _Irvine? Why him of all people? I mean, how is he gonna help? _She thought to herself. And apart from being a flirtatious womanizer, Irvine didn't do much else in the office.

With a mental shrug, she left the house and went inside the car. After dialling Irvine's number, she waited for him to pick up. _Come on, Irvine. Pick up the phone. _She thought frantically, and was relieved to hear his voice on the other side.

"_Hello?" _Came his voice from the other side of the phone.

"Hey Irvine, it's me", Jamie spoke, hoping that he'd recognise her voice.

"_Hey lovely lady. Did you phone cos you want some one-to-one time, with the one and only Irvinemeister?" _He said, and Jamie knew that he was grinning on the other end.

Jamie scoffed on the other end. "Oh, Irvine, you are _hilarious_, but that isn't the reason why I phoned you", she said, and heard him sigh on the other end.

"_Drat, and I was beginning to get excited", _he said, his voice switching to monotone mode. _"Well, for what other reason would you want to phone me?"_

"Well, it wasn't my idea exactly, but Squall is just questioning the victim right now, and the guy was talking about being hacked and all, and Squall just told me to drop a line to you", Jamie said, in one breath.

"_Heh, Squall just can't complete a mission without my help. I'll go into the guy's account and try to find any clues from there. So what's the victim's name?" _Irvine said, both excited and curious about the prospect of helping out on the mission and what he'll find.

"Guy's name is Gordon Raymonds. He claims to have had 1,350,000 Gil stolen from his account, think you'll be able to recover that amount of money?" Jamie asked, happy that Irvine _wasn't _a hopeless, lazy womanizer that Jamie thought he was.

"_Oh, that's a big no-no from me. See, I won't be able to recover the money, but I might be able to find out which computer that the hacker hacked the guy's account from, and hopefully who the guy is", _Irvine said.

"Thanks, I'll keep you up to date. Call you later then, bye Irvine", Jamie said, smiling slightly at he fact that another detective was going to help with the mission. _Nah, detective doesn't cover it….but a computer tech wizard is more like it. _Jamie thought, with a smile.

"_Later, don't stress too much, and make sure that Squall doesn't annoy you. Cos I'll have a real go at that guy, if he angers you", _Irvine said, smiling.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure that he doesn't", The brunette beauty said, and with that, she ended the call and put the cell phone in her jean pocket, waiting for Squall to come out.

_Come on, Squall, how long does it take to interview a guy and come out to the car? _She thought, feeling impatience surge through her body.

She was relieved when she saw him exit the building and start walking out towards the car. With a smile, she asked "So, what else did the guy say?" and leaned back in the car seat.

_This seat's really comfortable,_ she thought to herself, and she felt like resting her eyes for a minute, but thought against the idea. After all, detectives have to be sharp and alert, and she'd let her guard down if she went to sleep now.

"Not much. He just kept going on about his money and how much he wants it back", came his reply, as he sat in the driver's seat and started the car's engine.

"Well, you can't blame him. After all, imagine what he must have been saving up for with that amount of money", Jamie said, a bit of wonder glinting in her aquamarine coloured eyes. "I wonder how much he'll give us in reward…"

"Don't worry about that now. What you've _got _to worry about is the fact that this guy's dangerous. It may just be a hacker, but I'm sure that he's doing this for more than one reason", Squall said.

"Oh really? Wait, let me guess.." Jamie said, with a slight grin. "This is another 'Leonhart Hunch', isn't it?"

Squall smirked slightly before he drove out of the car's parking spot. "Yeah, that it is", and began to drive back to HQ.


	3. A Day's Work

-1Irvine was already in the computer room, logged into Raymond's account and ready to find some clues, when he heard the door slide open, and the two enter.

With a smile, Irvine swivelled in his chair and asked "So, anything else he mention about this?"

Squall shook his head and looked at the computer screen. "Cool, you got in. Find anything yet?"

"Not exactly, but there's something that's bugging me", Irvine replied, and pointed at the mark. A big letter 'S' was spread out over the page and covered most of the screen space.

"Not sure who did it, but I have a feeling that it was the hacker. After all, he may want to leave his mark", Irvine unveiled, once again surprising Jamie, who never thought that Irvine was so into his job. After all, Irvine spent most of his free time chasing women.

"That was what I was thinking as well", Squall revealed, and looked back at Irvine. "I'll leave the rest to you, alright? I've got to file my report to the Lieutenant", he added, and turned towards Jamie. "You coming as well?"

Jamie nodded. "I've got to file my report as well", she said, and looked back at Irvine. "Will you be okay here?"

"Don't worry, darling, I'll be as fine as a Moogle", Irvine remarked, whilst typing in the keyboard.

After rolling her eyes at the remark, Jamie smiled and walked out after Squall. After shutting the door behind her, she looked back at him.

"So, have you heard of what Selphie's organising tomorrow?" Jamie asked, keen to be the one paired up with Squall. She may not admit it, but he did have an effect on her, just like Seifer.

_Seifer…._She thought, a sinking feeling erupted in her stomach. She really missed him, and wondered where he had gone. _I guess that's typical of men. When you start to feel something for them, they decide to leave. _She was then brought back to reality when she heard Squall's voice reply.

"What, she's organising another dance?" He said, with a slight moan. "What is it this time?" He asked, feeling curious to why Jamie would start a conversation such as this.

"Well, I've heard that she's called it 'It Takes Two To Tango'", Jamie said, with a slight smile. She then smiled when she heard Squall scoff.

"Well, I've always known that she's full of surprises, but I never expected that she'd go this far", he said, feeling revolted by the name. _Man, I hate these dances that she keeps organizing. Just because her and Irvine are having a fairy-tale relationship, that doesn't mean that we all are. _He thought to himself, thinking of Rinoa.

His relationship with Rinoa was the talk of the Garden, until she mysteriously disappeared. _She opened me out of my shell, and she was the reason that I lived and began to love again. So why did she leave me? _He thought, and looked ahead.

They were near the Lieutenant's office, and Squall instantly put on his emotionless expression, on his face.

Squall looked at Jamie, and then looked back at the door. After two knocks, they both patiently waited for the Lieutenant to call them in.

"So, are you going?" Jamie asked him, after some quick seconds flew by.

"Hmm?" Squall said, not paying much attention.

"Are you going?…..To the dance?" She asked him again.

Squall looked at her. Jamie was looking back at him, a graceful smile spread across her face. Before Squall had time to reveal his answer, he heard the Lieutenant call 'Come in' and Squall entered the office, Jamie following behind.

"Aah, I was expecting you both. Have you compiled all your reports yet?" Lieutenant Cid kindly asked, his eyes filled with admiration for his two loyal inspectors.

"Yes sir, we have updated our reports regarding the previous events that happened over the past couple of days", Squall answered, his expression devoid of emotion.

"Very well then, you may place them into your folders and I'll check them", Cid smiled, hoping to get somewhere with this case.

Squall and Jamie saluted him when they had handed him their files, and the duo made their exit. When Jamie shut the door behind her, she stifled a yawn and looked at her watch.

"Well, I guess I'd better go now, or else I won't get my desired rest", Jamie said, and looked back at Squall. "You gonna go home too?"

Squall nodded. "Yeah, there's still some stuff that I need to sort out, but I'd prefer to do it at home", he said, and rubbed his left eye. He had to admit that he was losing sleep lately, mostly because of his nightmares.

"Okay then, I guess that I'll see you tomorrow, alright? Bye", Jamie said, and waved goodbye to him.

She felt a slight grip on her arm, and she turned around. Squall was holding her arm gently, and he said to Jamie "I'll be there. At the ball", he added, when he saw her questioning expression. Then he let go of her arm, and smiled.

Jamie smiled back. "Cool, I guess I'll see you there then", she said, and walked off to the parking lot.

Squall continued to smile as her retreating figure left the building. "Yeah, I'll see ya there too", he said, and with a shake of his head, he proceeded to exit the building and go back home.


	4. Twist of Fate

-1Jamie woke up to the sound of her alarm and instantly pressed her eyes together at the loud amount of noise it was making.

Muttering some inaudible words, she used her hand to find the source of the noise, but while she was reaching her arm to the alarm clock, she had knocked over her lamp in the process.

Opening her eyes to the thump that the lamp made as it hit the floor, Jamie finally turned off the alarm, which was ringing like hell at that point.

She then sat up and stretched whilst yawning. _Great, now I'm going to have to replace that lamp, _she thought grimly, and something clicked into place. _Oh yeah, the ball's on in an hour's time. I'd better get ready if I want to look my best. _She thought, and sprang out of bed, and went to get ready for the big event. She had a tiring day today, but with confidence, she had a hunch that this evening would please her.

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"There, that looks all right", Squall said, whilst examining himself. He was wearing a simple white shirt, with some of the buttons undone, complete with black trousers and shoes. He thought that the way he looked was satisfactory, and he admired the suit of its simplicity.

After exiting the house and unlocking the front door, Squall took out the car keys from his shirt pocket and started the car's engine.

_I can't believe that I'm actually going to one of Selphie's events. But I guess it'll relax me after all that paperwork and all…_He thought to himself, as he entered the car and began to drive.

The drive wasn't that far (thankfully, for him), but he couldn't find a free parking space. Cursing slightly to himself, Squall decided to drive around the parking lot once. When he had gone around once, he had realised that there was a free parking space.

_Hmm, must be my lucky day. _He thought to himself, but didn't press the matter any further, as he exited his car, after having parked it and locked it.

As he approached the building, he saw a figure entering as well. He then saw the silhouette turn around. A few steps closer and he realised that it was Zell.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he smiled at the blonde. "Hey, you looking forward to this night?" He asked, figuring out his answer.

Zell smiled back at him. "Well, I guess. I just hope that I dance with a really pretty lady", Zell grinned.

Squall smiled and then opened the door to the building, Zell following suit.

Zell uttered an audible "Woah!" at the sight of the place. Even Squall couldn't help but feel slightly impressed.

The floor was made out of stunning crystal marble, and the two could hear the footsteps as they walked across the floor. It was not so much that the atmosphere impressed them, but also the people present there.

There were a lot of professional looking men and women there, and a lot of other people besides them. In other words, the place was absolutely crowded.

Squall and Zell abruptly turned around as they heard the brisk, but comforting tone of Cid's voice behind them say "Aah, it's nice of the two of you to join us".

Squall smiled slightly, whilst Zell was sheepishly grinning at the Lieutenant, and replied "Sorry for arriving late sir, but I'll make it up to you, sir".

The Lieutenant dismissed the last comment with the wave of his hand. "No need, Squall, I assume that you were busy sorting out something, were you not?" Without waiting for a reply, he continued. "Jamie and her friends are waiting over there, just in case you were looking for them", Cid said, and pointed to a table, where Squall saw Selphie talking to a woman.

Cid nodded at them both and began to walk to some of the businessmen that were waiting for him. Taking that as the cue that the conversation had finished, Squall and Zell had begun to walk towards the direction that Cid had earlier indicated.

"Woah, is that Selphie? She looks pretty in that dress…" Zell had started to say, but stopped, turning redder with each step.

Squall smiled slightly and approached the two ladies, with Zell following behind, who was stealing glances at Selphie.

Selphie looked at the two and smiled at them. "Hey guys, you're finally here", she said brightly. She was wearing a lime-green dress, that reached just below her knees, and was wearing diamond studded earrings with a matching bracelet. Her hair was the usual style, but had specks of silver glitter sprinkled on it.

Squall smiled back at her, and then looked at the woman that Selphie was chatting to earlier. When she turned round, Squall did a double-take.

It was Jamie, but she looked much different then she normally did. Her usually sleek, straight hair was set in curls and she was wearing lip gloss. Mascara showed off her eyelashes, and her aquamarine eyes. She was clad in a black strapless dress, with a long black skirt that went below her knees. To finish off her look, she was wearing a necklace, with a heart pendant which had the letter 'J' emblazoned with diamonds.

With a smile, Jamie addressed the two. "Hi Squall, Zell", she nodded to both of them.

Squall felt like hugging her, but he had to control that feeling, and simply replied "Hi ladies", while Zell just stared at the two beautifully clad ladies in front of him.

Jamie's smile dropped slightly, when Squall simply replied in that way. But then she realised that he was always going to be like that anyway, and her smile reappeared on her face.

She heard Selphie say something about 'going for a drink' and Zell followed her. It was then that Jamie realised that her and Squall were standing on their own.

Squall then decided to start a conversation going, and simply remarked, "The decorations look nice".

Jamie looked back at him and smiled. "Yeah, they do. Selphie was the one that put the most effort on it, so all the credit goes to her", she said, taking a strand of brown hair and curling it with her finger, but her hair was already curly, so the gesture didn't help.

Squall muttered an "Oh" of confirmation and looked at the other couples there. Jazzy music had begun to play and most of the couples had began to dance, including Zell and Selphie. Squall smiled and began to remember memories of his first dance with Rinoa: the way that she had pulled him into the dance floor, the way she smiled at him as she pointed at the star.

Jamie had taken a glance at Squall and instantly knew that he was daydreaming again. _Man, he really misses Heartilly. At this rate, he'll never get over her. _Jamie thought, and asked, "I'm pretty thirsty, so I'm just going to get a drink. Would you like one too, Squall?"

Squall looked back at Jamie, and nodded his head. "That would be nice", he replied, and watched her as she got the drinks. He muttered "Thanks" as she gave him his drink and he slowly began to drink it whilst watching Jamie.

Jamie was aware that his eyes were on her, and she felt quite uncomfortable. A glance in his direction, however, showed her that he had been drinking a lot.

Feeling content to stop him from drinking any more, Jamie held the glass that he was going to drink from, and pulled it towards herself. "I think you've been drinking quite a bit, Leonhart", she said, with a smirk, just like Seifer used to give her when he played tricks on her.

She had just turned around to place the glass back on the table, when suddenly she felt two muscular arms hold her and turn her around.

Squall placed the glass in the table for Jamie, and simply said, "It takes two to tango", before dancing with her.

On the course of it all, Jamie was shocked beyond belief. Not only was Squall dancing with her, but he had been drinking three glasses of alcohol, and still remained sturdy.

After the music ended, Squall pulled Jamie's body towards his and could feel her lips on his. But he heard Jamie's voice say "Squall, can you let go, please? I need to go now", and he instantly thought to himself. _What if I don't let you go? What if you stay with me forever?_ but then he felt his arms loosen their hold on Jamie, and then saw her walk outside.

After leaving the building, he called out to her. "Jamie, I'll drop you off to your house, if you want", he shouted out to her, and was pleased to see her smile and stand next to the passenger door of his car.

He got his keys out, unlocked the doors and sat in the driver seat whilst Jamie sat in the passenger seat. The two stayed silent during the ride home, but each of them had conflicting thoughts in their heads.

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It was nearing midnight when the two had reached Jamie's house and they both exited the car, Squall locking the car.

Jamie got out her keys from her black handbag and unlocked the front door, with Squall following closely behind.

The entrance hall was relatively big, to sum it up, and the guest room had four leather sofas positioned in a quadrilateral shape. The rugs were smooth and were a light brown colour.

Jamie looked back at Squall. "Would you like to stay here for the night?" She asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable asking that question.

Squall smiled at her. "Sure, I'd love to", he said. "Can you show me to my room, then?"

"Okay", Jamie answered, and began climbing up the spiral staircase, with Squall following behind. Jamie directed him to a room which had two separate beds in it, and before she opened the door, she looked back at him.

"Here's your room. If you want anything else, just ask", she said, and felt her breath stop short as he moved nearer to her. Her body was then pressed in the door, and then Squall had…..pulled open the door handle to open the door.

Jamie had moved out of the way to allow him through the door, but Squall held her hand and directed her through the door with him. Before Jamie had anything to say to him, Squall held up his hand. "I just….", he started. "I just want you to stay here with me", he said.

Jamie looked at Squall and didn't know if it was the effect of the alcohol, but Squall was acting different. But before she had any more time to register it, Squall took off his shoes and began to unbutton his shirt.

Jamie fell down into her bed and said "Squall, I do have a bathroom, you know. You can get dressed there", and sat back up on her bed.

The shirtless Squall looked at Jamie and smirked the way she had. "I know that, I just don't wanna hide anything from you", he said, and smirked at her confused expression.

He saw her turn around and take her necklace off, before placing it in a trinket box. With a slightly seductive smirk, he walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Jamie felt warm as his arms slid around her waist, and his calming voice tickled her senses. He planted kisses on her neck and she began to follow his lead, passion and lust pumping into her bloodstream, allowing her to lose control.

The thing that shocked the two most was what they heard from the other.

"I love you".


	5. Commanding Consequences

Disclaimer: I only own Jamie. But I wish I could own Squall. L

Whilst she stretched her arms out of fatigue, Jamie had accidentally hit something. _What the hell was that? _Jamie thought to herself, as she turned to face the side, however she stopped short and she felt her heart stop, if only for a second.

There was another figure sleeping beside her, a _man _figure. But not just any man.

Squall.

_What the-? Why is Squall here? Why is he sleeping on my-? _Her mind began to click back into place. _Oh crap, we slept together, didn't we? _She thought to herself, as the events of last night began to play back in her mind. But before she had any more time to think about that, she felt Squall begin to stir. Before she could get out of the bed, Squall's eyes began to open, revealing storm-blue orbs behind his eyelids.

And a stunned silence followed.

At the same time, both of them sat up and before Jamie could open her mouth, Squall leapt out of the bed, and began to gather up his clothes. Jamie couldn't muster up the strength to say anything, as one glimpse of Squall's expression showed that he was going to shout at her, if he found out the truth.

Squall gave her the blazing, hard look and simply said "Let's forget that this ever happened, okay?" After hastily putting on his trademark jacket, he looked back at Jamie, who was staring at him. "What?"

Jamie couldn't help but blurt out the word. "What do you mean, 'forget that this ever happened'? Don't you realise what's happened? I mean, don't you realise what we've _done_?" She continued, astonished by Squall's reaction to all this.

Squall continued to stare at her with that hard look and responded "Of course I know what happened! It's obvious, ain't it? But there's no point crying over spilt milk. What's done is done, we can't change that". After saying that, he began to straighten out his jacket, checking for any anomalies.

Before Jamie had time to shout out a remark, Squall had already stormed out the door and Jamie could hear the car as it drove away. Laying back down on the bed, Jamie's eyes had began to sting at the injustice of Squall's words. _Why does he have to be so unemotional? But, it's obviously something to do with Heartilly. _Jamie pondered for a minute, and then decided to have a shower and get ready.

Today was going to be a difficult day.

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Squall had entered Lieutenant Cid's office, shortly after the whole ordeal, but decided againt thinking about it. Thinking about it again would just make him go and talk to Jamie, and the last thing that he needed was any more problems. He was already considering the reason why he had called him here.

Cid had just finished assessing some paperwork, and with his stern expression, he looked up at Squall "Officer Leonhart, I had also contacted Officer Kramer to meet me here as well. Have you any idea of why she is not present here yet?" He asked, already having an idea of what Squall was going to say.

But before Squall had said anything, Jamie had opened the door hurriedly and had began to apologise. "I'm sorry Sir, I-" She had started, but she stopped in mid-sentence, as Cid's hand was raised, which signalled her to stop talking.

"I have heard a for want of a better word, regarding two of my finest officers", he said, briefly glancing at both of their expressions, both remaining neutral. "The anonymous source had informed me that those two officers had been breaking a severe rule, and were involved in some kind of sexual relationship. Now, being the man that I am, I didn't believe him at first, but he had proven to me that they were indeed together, as he had the room bugged", he informed them.

Since he knew that Squall was secretly growing impatient, and Jamie wanted to say something, he hastily continued. "Now, one of the most strict rules about the force is that no two officers are allowed in any kind of relationship, but business-related. You two have broken that rule and will have to suffer the consequences". He sighed slightly before continuing "I'm sorry to say that you two will be suspended, without work or pay, for two months".

Jamie's eyes had gone wide after that statement had been revealed. Suspended?! But she wanted to help, not sit around at home doing absolutely nothing! "But, Dad-I mean, Sir-"

Cid cut through her speech. "I have nothing more to say. I have given your case to Officers Dincht and Trepe, who will hunt down the criminal. All you two can do is stay at home", he clarified, looking at the two of them with an expression that plainly dismissed the pair from his office. Taking their leave, the two left the lieutenant's office.

Jamie and Squall didn't exchange a word to each other, but only until they had left the Headquarters did Squall speak. "I can't believe this! I've never been suspended in my life, but because of you, I'm going to have to sit at home playing 'Families'!" the brunette male exclaimed, and with that accusation, Jamie rounded off on him.

"You're blaming me for this?" Jamie questioned. "Well, at least I wasn't the one who got drunk and began this whole crap!" She cried out, furious that Squall blamed everything that had happened to _her._

_Well, it was sorta your fault, _a part of Jamie informed her. _You didn't stop him._ Putting that thought to the back of her mind, she glared at Squall's silence. Heavy rain battered on the two figures as they attempted to find peace within each other. Jamie, dripping wet from the rain, decided to break the silence.

"Okay Squall, I'm sorry about this, okay? I know how you feel about this whole ordeal, but….there's nothing we can do now, okay?" Jamie admitted to him, and a sinking sensation formed somewhere in her conscience. She didn't want to be the bearer of bad news or anything, but she knew that from the position they had caught themselves in, they couldn't do much.

However, Squall's continued silence, and the endless raindrops falling on them, resumed to aggravate Jamie's mood.

"Oh, for Hyne's sake, Leonhart! Will you get a grip?!" Jamie shouted. "I know that you really want to go back, but we can't. So, will you please accept my apology?" She pleaded, and was mortified at Squall's reaction, who turned away. With a sigh, she notified him.

"You know Squall, I thought that I could change you, the way that Heartilly had. I wanted to make you love again, but it's obvious, isn't it?" Jamie muttered. "I guess I'll have to face it. You're never gonna change", and with that, she walked away, out into the never-ending rainstorm.

Squall rounded his head back to look at Jamie's retreating back, and with a sigh, he leant into the side of his car. But a mutter could be heard from the masculine brunette. "Nice going Leonhart."

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Jamie's aquamarine eyes were threatening to spill out tears, but she angrily wiped them away, planning to curse at everything she was passing. _Damn Leonhart! Why does he always make me feel this way?_ She thought to herself, but her train of thought was interrupted by her cell phone.

_Drat, who'll be phoning me at this time then? _The beautiful brunette pondered as she answered the call. "Hello, Jamie speaking".

"_I've found out something"._

Jamie instantly felt confused. "Uhm, excuse me?"

_Go to Headquarters tomorrow. There's a major meeting being planned there"._

Jamie was going to ask the mysterious caller something else, but the call had ended as soon as it had started. Feeling instantly puzzled, she did nothing else but stand in the rain, trying to sort out her thoughts, whilst the rain pattered on her slim figure.


	6. Woman for the Job

Disclaimer: Only Jamie and Raphael are mine. The rest are not.

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Jamie woke up to another day, and her mind was instantly dwelling on the issues that had arisen the previous day: firstly, her own _father _had suspended her, from helping unravel the case, for two months, and furthermore, _without pay_! And secondly, that nagging voice in her head had kept unhelpfully reminding her of the 'major meeting' that the officers were going to be holding there.

_Everything will turn out okay, _She kept thinking to herself, as she got dressed. _And Hyne knows how much of a rest I need from work right now. _She was, of course, still sore with Squall and was wondering what he was doing now. _No use thinking about that jerk now. _

With one final look back at her apartment, she exited the house and headed to the city.

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Finally finding a parking space in the car park, Jamie parked her car and left for the shops, taking her bag with her. Selphie had told her that shopping was one of the- no- _the _best way to help clear one's mind, and Jamie was trying her best to do just that.

But not having much success.

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A few shops later, Jamie had arrived home, and was just organising her wardrobe when suddenly, she heard her phone ring.

"I'm coming!" She shouted to no-one in particular, as she attempted to answer the phone as quickly as possible. Picking up the phone, she answered, "Hello, Jamie here".

She instantly recognised the voice from yesterday respond to her. "_Hey, you better be ready. The meeting's starting in an hour"._

Jamie narrowed her eyes slightly and asked the two questions that had been bugging her for some time now. "Who are you? And how did you get both my numbers?"

The voice just simply replied, "_All will be revealed in due time"_.

Jamie was just going to shout out something to him, but then he ended the call. With a huff, she put the phone back, and decided to leave for the meeting.

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Upon entering the Balamb Police Department HQ, she was pleased to find most of the place empty. Evidently, everyone else had no more jobs to do, or their duties were over.

Heading for the elevator, she pushed in the '30' button. Being in the BPD for five years and her father being the Lieutenant, Jamie had known that the meeting would be held up in the 30th floor.

After hearing the 'ting' that signalled that the elevator had reached the destination, Jamie exited the lift.

The 'meeting room', as the rest of the officers referred it to, was located at the centre of the entire floor, and Jamie could already tell that it was a really big room, as the mahogany doors were _huge_. As Jamie approached the two double doors, she cursed silently as she saw the slot where the key card was to be swiped.

_Of course, I need a key card. Obviously, they would have used _some _security method to keep others out. _Jamie thought to herself. Cursing her luck, the brunette had decided to find another way in. Unusually, this 'way in' had taken her into the toilets. Looking around, she couldn't find anything, until….

Her eyes had found a 'gate' of sorts in the ceiling. As she wasn't that tall, she boosted herself by standing on the top of the toilet seat and pushed open the 'gate', climbing into the newfound 'tunnel'. The space that she occupied was literally all the space there was, and Jamie's knees began to ache, placed on top of hard ground. Crawling towards her destination, she finally found another 'gate'. This 'gate' had 'holes' which allowed Jamie to look at what was happening. And beneath her, Cid was talking to a man she wasn't familiar with.

The man spoke first. "Listen Cid, we really need to find this 'Mr. S'. He seems to know what we are up to, and we can't have that".

Cid responded to him. "I agree, Raphael. But my two best officers are suspended, all because of that….trick, for lack of better words, that you had pulled".

Raphael bowed his head slightly and said, "I am sorry about that Cid, but I had to do it. I could already tell that there was something going on between the two and after all, rules are rules".

From the top, realisation had dawned on Jamie. _So _he's _the one that snitched on us_, she thought to herself. And without warning, a great feeling of loathe had washed out her other feelings, and she could think of nothing else than the hatred that she felt for the blond figure talking with her father.

Cid addressed the man. "Well, Raphael, I do have two other officers that I have assigned to the case, I do hope you'll be happy with that".

Raphael looked slightly disgruntled, but didn't push the matter any further. "Well, I am pleased to see that you are doing all you can to find him. But in the meantime, shall we walk up to your office?"

With Cid's approval, the two made their way to Cid's office, whilst Jamie got out of the tunnel. _That creep! Who does he think he is, getting my room bugged and spying on me and Squall? _She thought, furious with the man. As she jumped down into the washroom, Jamie tried to head out of the building.

There was no sign of anyone anywhere, so Jamie assumed that they had left for her father's office. Just when she was about to leave, she felt a hand instantly grab her and hold her mouth. Trying to scream, the only thing that came out was a muffle. "I knew that there was someone eavesdropping on us", she heard the figure say.

_Great Jamaila, first you get suspended, and now you've gotten caught by a snitch, _Jamie thought to herself, and she felt his hand release its hold on her mouth. Almost instantly, she cried "Who the hell do you think you are?!"

Raphael simply got out a gun from his belt and aimed it at Jamie. "Well, darling, there are some questions that are best left unanswered", he smirked, pointing the gun at Jamie's head.

All of a sudden, Jamie kicked the gun out of his hand, sending it flying, and ran down the stairs. However when she went down a couple of stairs, she saw two burly men run after her. _Oh great, he has bodyguards, _she thought, and continued running down the mountain of stairs that awaited her, the men following her.

Luckily for her, she found a piece of wall that she ducked behind, whilst the two gormless men continued going down the stairs, thinking that their prey would be standing at the bottom floor.

With a glance at the signpost, Jamie realised that she was on the 21st floor. Panting from the amount of running that she had endured, Jamie made her way to the elevator and headed for the 1st floor. Whilst the elevator was going to the 1st floor, Jamie felt her phone vibrate from her jean pocket. She answered the call.

"Hello?"

"_So, you find out anything?"_

"Well, my dad and some other guy want to find 'Mr.S' urgently."

"_Hehe, they're never going to find him at this rate."_

"What makes you say that?"

"_Well, they are so absorbed in their own plans. Good job, by the way. I never knew that you were an action diva. That kick was perfect."_

"How did you-?"

"_I guess you've been wondering who I am. Well, I'm going to meet you and talk to you, face-to-face. Meet me at Snow Lion's. That's where we'll talk business". _And with that, the enigmatic caller hung up the phone.

Jamie placed the cell phone back in her jean pocket and exited HQ. She needed to go to Snow Lion's, talk to this 'stranger' and find out what the hell is going on.

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Author's Note: Finally, action makes an appearance in this fic. Care to review, amigos?

Until next time, folks!


	7. S is for Stranger

-1Disclaimer: Would you believe me if I said that I own Final Fantasy? No, well you shouldn't. Only Jamie is mine.

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The next day saw Jamie heading to Snow Lion's. Snow Lion's was the local pub/bar, where most of the residents drank to either wash out their sorrows or boost their over-confidence.

The brunette had just stepped inside the bar, and already could smell the drinks evident on the men's breathes, and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

_Great, now where's that guy? _She began to ponder, and saw a figure, clad in black clothing, signal for her to come outside, through the back.

Indicating that to be the 'guy' that she was waiting for, Jamie made her way outside through the back room. Sitting opposite where he was seated, Jamie waited for him to begin.

"I'm glad that you arrived. Now, I know that you have already met Raphael Beaumont, who _really _seemed to like you", the stranger started, sarcasm in his voice.

Jamie rolled her eyes at the comment and questioned the man seated in front of her. "So, who _exactly _is he?"

The stranger paused for a moment, and then replied. "Raphael seems to be working with your father, but he's not a classified member of the BPD. Ever since I met him-"

"Wait….you met him?"

"Well, we've come across each other every so often. And believe me, he and I are _not _the best of friends. And after that, I've been trying to kill him."

"But why?"

"Because he's after me", was the reply, and Jamie felt a tad bit confused until comprehension kicked in.

"Wait a minute……_You're _Mr. S?"

"Yeah, and he's been after me for quite a while. He _says _that he's doing it for 'the good of mankind' and all that rubbish, but he only wants me behind bars cos I know what he's _really _up to".

"Which is…?"

"Raphael Beaumont was the owner of a drugs black market of sorts, he used to sell drugs and such. When he was caught, he had bribed some of the officers into releasing him and proving him innocent, even though he was not. To clear himself, he changed his name and begun helping by doing 'good deeds' in favour of the police."

Jamie stared at the man, whilst digesting all the information that he had given into her brain. "Woah….you sure know a lot about him".

With that, the man merely shrugged. "Yeah, I've done my research".

As uncomfortable that Jamie usually felt about talking to hooded strangers, this one was much more smarter than she had originally thought. And another confusing thing was the fact that the man sitting opposite her was the number one criminal that Raphael and her father were after.

"But what about all the victims' accounts that you've hacked? You can't pretend that you're not doing it for the 'good of mankind' either", Jamie stated.

"They're all in on it too. After all, this world ain't so big anyway", Mr. S replied. "So, in a way, I want to do this to scare the others and invoke some fear and unease on Raphael, and at the same time, not identify that I am the man actually hacking them. Although, it might be pretty obvious now…"

Jamie began to ponder some more about the disturbing situation, and didn't know who to trust. But there was one thing that she felt was true: the fact that Raphael must be up to something nasty. After all, he didn't seem to like her as much as he liked the man seated in front of her.

Mr. S hesitated a little, and then began to speak again. "Well…I'm guessing that you want to know who I am…" And no sooner than he had spoken those words, he began to lower his hood slightly, and with a gasp of recognition, Jamie recognised the adjacent scar that Squall had on his face as well and could see emerald green eyes staring at her.

Unfortunately, Jamie's voice had abandoned her at this point and all she could do was gape in shock. Taking advantage of this silence, Seifer leaned forward slightly and smirked. "Hyne, Jamie, you look as if you've seen a Behemoth".

Jamie replied to that by glaring at him, and then creased her eyebrows together slightly, as if she was deep in thought.

"Did you tell my father about all this?" She asked, and was surprised to hear him scoff.

"Trust me, your father's so close to Beaumont, that I'm surprised that he hasn't kissed his ass yet. Poor guy, though…He's just a lapdog of Beaumont's, just like you guys are lapdogs of his".

Jamie glared at Seifer again, but didn't say anything about his insight of her father.

"So, is this why you left? When you left the BPD, and when you left-?" She stopped herself short of saying what she wanted to. The last thing that she wanted Seifer to know was that she had missed him, cried over him, longed for him again. To do that would be showing weakness, as Seifer had told her before.

Seifer nodded, and personally felt relieved that Jamie was catching on so easily. "Yeah, that's why I left, all those secrets and lies…I just couldn't work for people like that".

Jamie bowed her head down slightly, before asking "So…do you think that…my father's part of Raphael's so called 'plan'?"

Seifer merely shrugged. "Anything's possible".

"But I don't think that is".

Seifer smirked slightly at the reply. "Jamie, you truly are naïve, aren't you? I mean-" He then stopped talking when he Jamie rise up out of her chair.

"I really need to go now".

"Wha-? Jamie…"

But she had heard enough. Exiting the bar, disgusted at the smells and the remarks that some men were directing at her, she went back in her car.

She wanted to do a lot of things, now that she knew about the plan.

She wanted to prove Seifer wrong, show him that she could take a criminal down by herself.

She wanted to talk to her father, ask about his and Raphael's plan.

She wanted to see Squall, find out what he was doing.

But most of all, she wanted to put Raphael in prison, or better yet, prove to the world what a sneak he was.

With home on her mind, she began to think of a plan.

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Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. But I hope that someone is reading this.

Review!


	8. And They All Fall Down

Disclaimer: Okay, I'm sure we all agree on something: Whatever you do recognize belongs to Square-Enix, and whatever you don't recognize belongs to me … Although I like Jamaila best!

Author's Note: Yep: my life's been like a yo-yo for the past couple of months; I barely had time to write this. But, I do try. And now, I present to thee … Chapter 8 of Consumed by Force (typed for the third time … Darn technology!)

* * *

_Life's a pain,_

_It keeps changing,_

_Surprising me,_

_With events rearranging,_

The sudden wave of determination hit Squall with such an impact that he felt as if he had no chance of refusing. Yes, he was planning to find the sneaky rat so well known as Raphael, but he hadn't expected to run into things. Truth be told, he was waiting for someone to come in as support or as back-up. However, that fateful day – of getting stripped of his power and privileges – meant that he now had to rely on himself, something he was adept at doing before Rinoa had entered his monotonic life.

_There's people there,_

_Who want to tell me,_

_What I have to do,_

_To be the person that I do not want to be._

Instead – now that he was no longer tied with the BPD – he had to get a living by fending for himself. And, he was comfortable with that … Slightly comfortable. But, now that he had realised what it was like; having supportive comrades around you, who would watch your back and help fend off any impending danger, made Squall realise that he did miss them … Slightly.

_I can't seem to see …_

He couldn't – and felt as if he still can't – see the impact of his so-called downfall. Only now did he slightly realise that he had been a fool; a fool for giving in temptation (Hell, he wasn't even in half his right mind anyway, the drink mainly influenced him), and now realised that he was suffering the consequences because of his foolish actions.

_But, no-one knows what I want,_

_No-one cares of what I need,_

_I must bring myself to tell them,_

_That I need Space to Breathe._

'_But what do I want?' _The blue-eyed male questioned to himself … Although, he had a pretty good idea. The BPD was something special to him: hell, it was his job, without question. But, what of those things he wanted selfishly? Like … Rinoa. Although, now she may have found someone else, someone better. Squall's expression instantly darkened at the mere thought of it, and his determination to find Raphael only elevated.

_I need to shape my future,_

_Decide on the path I should take._

_No person could ever learn the hardships of life,_

_Without making at least one mistake._

Squall thought over all his mistakes: about Elle, about Rinoa, about Jamie –

' … _I should stop sitting here and moping around.' _He thought, and got out of his room, making his way downstairs.

Squall Leonhart's path was set. Today, he was planning to confront Raphael. And today … he would rise again.

* * *

The dingy exterior of the town was made known to the two figures walking side-by-side, in search of their destination. Wherever they walked, beggars and rowdy drunkards surrounded them. The air was filled with humidity, and cars blared their horns downtown.

Jamaila involuntarily wrinkled her sharp nose in disgust, and looked left and right, hoping to catch a glance of the pub they were planning to confront the "sneaky rat" as dubbed by Jamie, or the "sly asshole" as dubbed by Seifer.

Seifer's sudden entrance into a building caused Jamaila to look up at the sign - which seemed to be falling apart at the corners. Recognizing the name, Jamie also made her way inside. Loud music welcomed both Seifer and Jamie as they entered.

_Hyne, this place __**stinks! **_The brunette thought to herself, eyeing the area - and the people inside - with distaste. However, the pair didn't have to walk very far, before a raucous man grabbed Jamie's arm: forcing her to turn around.

"Awright, sweet thang?" He rasped: his breath scented in alcohol. "Come on o'er here, and have a drink." He then let go of her arm: his sentence chorused with some wolf-whistles.

Jamie was just about to point out that she would **never **want a drink with him, when Seifer made his way in front of her. With an angry expression, he spoke: his eyes narrowed in slits.

"Look here, **pal. **You'd better leave her alone, because she's with me. **Got it?**" However, before Jamie had any time to say something, Seifer was making his way to the counter. Not exactly in the mood to stay with the drunkard and his friends - who were now jeering - Jamie began to follow Seifer.

"… Thanks for that, Seifer."

Seifer simply waved a hand in dismissal. "Don't mention it. Those kinda punks really piss me off, anyway." He said, and looked around for a second. There were a couple of men sitting in front of the counter, but one of them stuck out to Seifer like a sore thumb.

He was clad in clothes that were ragged and fading in colour, and even his red hair looked discoloured. He was slouched on the counter: a consequence of his uncontrollable drinking. However, as he saw Seifer and Jamie approach him, he sat up rigidly … Or as rigidly as his posture could determine.

Seifer folded his arms, which helped emphasize his power over the situation. "So - where is he?"

Whilst Jamie looked on in confusion, the man simply jerked his head towards the men's washroom. His old traditional smirk back in place, Seifer glanced back at Jamie before making his way to his next destination: Jamie following from behind.

But whilst Seifer went inside the washroom with confidence, Jamie stood outside: leaning against the wall with her arms lightly crossed against her chest. Barely a second passed, when Seifer made his way back out.

With an eyebrow raised, Seifer asked. "So - aren't you coming in?"

"Um - in case you didn't realize, Seifer, this is the **men's **washroom," Jamie answered, slightly embarrassed at the prospect of entering the men's public washing facility.

"Ah - don't worry: No-one's peeing in here, anyway", Seifer said bluntly, whilst shrugging his shoulders. However, barely a second passed before his smirk was in place. "But, if you want to stay round here - with all these drunks - then you're perfectly welcome to."

With a glare, Jamie entered the washroom - after Seifer - with hesitation. However, upon entering, the duo realized that there was no-one inside.

"Hmph, strange. They might have already gone …" Seifer said, frowning. "Or -"

The blond's sentence was cut off, as the closed lavatory doors opened from the inside: revealing a couple of burly men in black clothing, who wasted no time in firing shots. With a curse, Seifer rolled out of the way of one of the men's line of fire: resulting in the bullet to soar towards the window, which cracked.

Aiming a roundhouse kick on one of the men, Jamie was pleased that he was dazed for a couple of seconds, which allowed Seifer to retrieve his pistol from his trouser pocket and shoot the brute on the chest. With a grunt of pain, the man was back against the wall, trying desperately - but to no avail - to stop the blood from flowing out.

Before Jamie and Seifer could register anything else, the shattering of glass shards instantly caught their attention. Apparently, the two remaining goons shot the glass and made their exit through the windows. Hastily following, the pair jumped out, and landed slightly ungracefully on the ground.

Setting off at a run - side by side - the determined duo were merely a blur, as they sped off: pursuing Raphael's henchmen.

"Shit, those bastards run really fast - for big guys," Seifer spoke, as he and Jamie turned sharply around a corner and continued running after the brutish bodyguards.

"What the -?" Jamie exclaimed, as they both slid to a stop. The only thing that greeted them was a steel fence, where the steel door was securely locked.

"Shit – the damn door's locked." Seifer said, summing up Jamie's thoughts with slightly more vulgar words. However, Jamie's mind was already worked into overdrive: pushing her to frantically climb her way to the top of the fence –

"Whoa, whoa, whoa – what the hell are you trying to do?!" Seifer's cry stirred Jamie out of her thoughts: barely registering that her hands were already gripped lightly around the steel holes of the fence.

But – without warning – before she could open her mouth and convey her thoughts to Seifer, a powerful gust of wind forced Jamie to crash onto the wall to her side, causing the brunette's head to threateningly bleed.

The last thing she heard was Seifer's cry of shock, before she allowed darkness to consume her.

* * *

Author's Note: Oooh, cliff-hanger! Yep, even being an AU story, I had to add some in-game qualities as well. And, the 'poem' or 'song' at the beginning was created by none other than yours truly! But, if you want to use it (which I doubt), just ask!

And, a big thank you to AngelJeanne, for being my first (and only!) reviewer!

R&R, please!

Ash XX


	9. Dance With The Devil

Disclaimer: Only I own Jamaila and Gehenna, just as only Square-Enix own the rest of the FFVIII characters.

Author's Note: If you're a reader who has stuck by this fic all the way through, then I thank you … sincerely. If you're a reader and reviewer, then I respect you all the more merrily.

* * *

"Text" indicates speech for most characters

"_Text" _indicates speech for Gehenna

'_Text' _indicates thoughts/feelings

_Text _indicates flashbacks/'dream' scenarios

**Text **indicates emphasized words

* * *

'_Now, why does this place seem so … __**bright**__?'_

_No sooner had those words been mentally uttered, then Jamaila opened her eyes with great hesitation. However, the sight that welcomed her was shocking._

_She was standing in a haven of plain white. There was nothing or –body to suggest that anyone had been here, and the brunette automatically assessed the situation._

'_Okay, no-one here … I guess that scratches 'Utopia' out of the list …'_

"_Whatever are you talking about? This __**is **__your 'Utopia.'"_

_With a spin, Jamie became face-to-face with an unrecognizable person. The female was clad in a white sleeveless dress, which blended well with her porcelain skin. Her brown hair was set in elaborate curls, and Jamie would have thought her pretty if not for the sinister grin woven on her face. _

_Extending her arms apart, the mysterious female spoke. "This place is your haven; the home of all your memories and feelings." _

_Still bewildered by the appearance of the enigmatic girl in white standing in front of her, Jamie barely registered that the white seemed to be fading and was replaced by moving scenes; almost like a film which had no sound. The only difference was that all the scenes that were playing were memories of Jamie: when she was young, and was riding a T-Board for the first time; when she was first recruited into the BPD, and was saluting the present Lieutenant; when she was talking to Seifer, and Cid had intervened …_

_Vivid flashes of her life were reflected in Jamie's turquoise eyes, before she hastily blinked them back and they seemed to fade back; the white coming back. Addressing the female, she voiced the questions currently posing around in her head; finding it difficult to keep a note of accusation out of her tone. _"Okay, so **who **are you? And what exactly are you talking about - my 'haven?' This place ..."

_Her voice trailing away into nothingness, Jamie took a glimpse of her surroundings, expecting more memories to unravel into a mini-movie. However, no such thing occurred, as the other female present took a step closer to Jamie and spoke. "I am Gehenna." She placed a hand to her chest. "And, this place ... is the embodiment of all your thoughts and feelings; the place solely enclosed to the individual who drives the conscience."_

_Realization hit Jamie at that point, and she looked at Gehenna for confirmation. _"So – Wait – you're saying this place – We're inside my **mind?!**"

_Gehenna nodded and Jamie looked around. Sure, there was nothing but endless white, save for a couple of fragments of memory. _"But, this just … doesn't make any logical sense. And you," _she said, looking back at Gehenna; trying her best to adopt her stern attitude._ "Don't you think this is an invasion of privacy? I mean, my mind belongs to me, and me alone."

_Gehenna grinned; a sight that made Jamie narrow her eyes._ _"That's what everyone assumes. But, there's something they don't know." She took a step forward. "We have the power to enter someone's mind whenever we want to." And, when Jamie's eyebrows creased together in confusion, she elaborated. "We are the Sorceresses."_

_Jamie's eyes widened in shock. 'No. Way. Nuh-uh, it can't be …' _

"You – You just **can't **be a Sorceress!"

"_Why not?"_

"They …" _She hesitated, then opted to go on the offensive. _"Sorceresses don't exist; they're just a myth!"

_Gehenna said nothing but moved a couple of steps forward and extended her right arm. "If I am not a Sorceress, then explain how I can do this." And as her eyes dangerously flashed, they changed from Jamie's turquoise to a bright yellow. Before Jamie could say anything, Gehenna uttered "__**Unus quisnam decerno Fortuna**__."_

_Unexpectedly, a jolt of pain paralysed Jamie's body, and caused her to float up into the air. All she could do was scream as her mind lost control of her body parts and she eerily floated above Gehenna, who watched impassively. Her body staying stock-still, Jamie could barely focus on anything else but the pain; the pain that she would not be able to endure any longer, her heart constricted against her chest, threatening to come out …_

_All she heard was Gehenna's "It's __**Vicis**__, O __**Electus Unus**__" before she closed her eyes, allowing darkness to envelope her senses._

* * *

Seifer eyed the clock as the seconds slowly passed and waited. That's all he had been doing for the past couple of hours, and he **hated **it: hated waiting for what the doctors would assume would be the cure for Jamie's condition. But, one of the doctors had previously mentioned that she was in some sort of coma.

'_She'll wake up, she's tough.' _He tried to convince himself, but couldn't bring himself to fully accept it. What had hit her was a gust of wind … but magic had never been introduced to Gaia before. Sure, there were stories; of magic and sorceresses and knights and all that other shit, but that's all they were. **Stories.**

They were not real.

With a frustrated sigh, Seifer was just about to get out of his seat and harass one of the nurses to tell him what the fuck was going on, when a male doctor made his way to the blond.

"How is she?" He asked, torn between anger of the long wait he had had to endure and concern for his fr – his ex … Or were they still together now?

'_Nah, she'd probably say we've broken up after I left her …' _He thought to himself, but didn't zone out for too long; he watched the doctor straighten his glasses and answer. "She still seems to be unconscious, yet about a couple of minutes ago … We realized that she seemed to be struggling with herself."

Knotting his eyebrows at that statement, he asked the question that he felt slightly afraid to hear the answer to. "So – What exactly does that mean?"

The doctor looked down for a couple of uncomfortable seconds then, deciding to break the ice, gave Seifer the answer. "I … After obtaining some more research from Odine's Laboratories in Esthar –"

"**What **exactly does that **mean?!" **Seifer hissed dangerously, his fiery temper threatening to explode at the amount of tension he was experiencing. The tone of the blond's voice alerted the doctor, whose eyes were slightly widened and he looked Seifer square in the eye before speaking.

"Sir … we – we think that she's … Possessed."

* * *

Running through the alleyways, he found nothing but empty and abandoned warehouses, which gave no sign of anyone having lived here. In fact, this whole area was pretty much deserted.

'_Just goes to show that directions given by certain people are not always the best ones to listen to.' _The brown-haired male thought to himself, as he turned a corner and found himself in front of a building, with a door which was painted blue and undoubtedly gave off the smell of raw sawdust and of something else the male couldn't decipher.

"_**Bzz … Bzz …" **_

Hearing the static, Squall raised his arm to face-level, so that the watch he was wearing was positioned in front of his mouth. Confident that his ally was listening, he spoke into it. "Zell … I think I've found something."

"_**Bzz … Seriously?! Alright; the building have a blue door?"**_

Squall looked back at the door, and smiled. "It does."

"_**Bzz … Then that must be it! Bzz – Hold on, let me get you some info on it …"**_

Whilst waiting for Zell to gather the required information, the stormy-eyed male kept a mental note of his surroundings. However, he had the sneaking suspicion that he was being watched. Turning around swiftly, he saw nothing but the public green dustbins, which looked just as run-down and deserted as the rest of the area. His posture relaxing, he exhaled a breath that he never realized he was holding and turned back to look at the warehouse. However, Zell's voice rang out of the walkie-talkie watch he was wearing and Squall strained to hear the words.

"_**Bzz … Oka-bzz, I got some stuff on the – bzzt – warehouse. Bzz … Apparently, this is where Raphael – bzzt – deals with his – bzzt – supplies and stuff … Right now, he uses this place as his – bzz – base but … there are a lot – bzz – of hidden – bzzt – passageways there …"**_

"So, basically; not your average base, right?" Squall summed up.

"_**Bzzt – Yeah, exactly! But, take – bzzt – care in there. That – bzz – sneaky bastard might have some-bzzt-thing in – bzz – there; something – bzzt – dangerous."**_

"Don't worry, I'll take care of myself." Squall ended the conversation and as soon as he switched off the device, he heard some footsteps exiting the building. Hastily, he ducked behind a pack of crates that were conveniently placed there and watched as two burly men opened the door and began to walk off.

"Er – how 'xactly are we suppos'ta find Mr. S? I though' he was in hiding?" He heard one of the men as his companion.

"I dunno. Where is Hiding, anyway? I've never been there …" The companion replied.

Shaking his head at the men's dim-wittedness, Squall looked at the now-open door. Still kneeling, he crept his way through the front door. The warehouse was mostly packed with more crates and boxes that were either planning to be shipped or were shipped from different cities or continents. Pressing his back lightly against a group of boxes, Squall peeked from the corner and was satisfied when he found that no-one was present.

Switching his communication device back on, the male placed the watch near his mouth and spoke into it. "Zell … there seems to be no-one here."

"Oh really? You'd think so, wouldn't you?" A voice remarked, and Squall turned towards the source of the voice abruptly. There, in his white suit, was Raphael flanked by two other bodyguards. Cursing silently to himself, Squall glared at the man who – according to Zell – was in charge of most of the work the BPD were currently doing and who – according to Irvine – had 'snitched' about two officers involved in 'promiscuous activities.' _'And I'm pretty sure that most of them lot had a field day with that information,' _the blue-gray-eyed male thought to himself darkly.

Raphael chuckled to himself. "You see, there was really no need for you to come over here. I would have found you, eventually." When Squall did not answer, he continued. "But, where is your lovely female friend? I'm sure she would **love **to be here; attempting to destabilize me." With another chuckle from the blond, Squall found his anger mounting; he wanted nothing more than to cause the man before him as much physical pain as possible.

"Look, Beaumont … It's just me and you now. No-one else needs to get involved," Squall spoke, loud enough for Raphael to hear him. The blond put on a mockingly disappointed expression.

"Oh, what a pity. I would have enjoyed facing her off, too." He sighed. "… Very well – Boys." He prompted, and the two massive bodyguards ran towards Squall. Without warning, one of them picked up a crate and threw it in Squall's direction. However, Squall (being reasonably agile) rolled towards the side and heard the crate break as it hit solid ground.

Locating Raphael, the brown-haired male ran towards him, who withdrew a small pistol from his white jacket, and Squall dodged the bullets that were aimed for him. Locating his own gun, he tried to shoot his blond enemy but missed. However, the other bodyguard had grabbed Squall from behind and held him in a Nelson hold. He struggled slightly then moving forward slightly, exerted a force backward and hit the guy's chest with his elbow. The bodyguard yowled in pain and Squall set off at a run to find the main man responsible for his exile from his job …

And, he was located. With a leap over a pile of crates scattered around the warehouse, he was pursuing Raphael, who was running away from his; something akin to fear on his face. Withdrawing his gun from his vest pocket, Squall aimed some more shots at the blond and was pleased when he heard Raphael yelp in pain. However, his happiness was not for long as the blond entered a black car that seemed to have been waiting for him and Squall, barely aware that there was a stitch searing with pain on his side, was about to call for back-up when a sudden blow hit the back of his head with such force that he was forced onto the concrete floor in a kneeling position. Holding the back of his head with pain, he glanced up as the two other bodyguards entered the car, which sped away.

'_Damnit, I let him escape! I don't believe this!' _He yelled mentally and heard the static from the walkie-talkie watch. Talking into it, he called for Zell. "Officer Dincht … I need back-up here." That was all he had time to say before he heard the blond call the medics and realized, with a sinking feeling, how the criminal had slipped out of his clutches.

'_Mark my words, Raphael. I __**will **__get you for this.' _

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, another chapter done! If you are reading this, please do take the time to review.

Please?

Ash XX


	10. Flurry of Emotions

Disclaimer: Refer back to previous chapters.

A/N: Enjoy!

--

"Text" indicates speech for most characters

"_Text" _indicates speech for Gehenna

"_**Text" **_indicates speech for Jamie

'_Text' _indicates thoughts/feelings

_Text _indicates flashbacks/'dream' scenarios

**Text **indicates emphasized words

--

'… _She's gone. Thank Hyne -'_

"Jamie? Can you hear me?"

'_Wait a minute -'_

"_**Rinoa?!"**_

"You can hear me! Thank goodness, I thought it wouldn't work!"

"_**What wouldn't work?"**_

"This connection … thing. Ellone's the one that put me up to it. You see, it's sort of like telepathy; but I can't actually read your thoughts, I can only communicate with you."

"_**Is Ellone there with you, too?"**_

"Yeah, she is. She's temporarily taking care of me; that is, until I can control these powers properly."

"_**So, does this mean that you're a … Sorceress, too?"**_

"… Yeah, it does."

"_**Oh … and is that the reason you … left?"**_

"… Yeah. I was scared of staying near lots of people. I didn't want to hurt anyone so me and Seifer thought it best that I should leave."

"_**So, you're not … in love with him?"**_

"… You know how every Sorceress usually has a Knight: someone who can protect them and see that they come to no harm, or don't harm anybody else?"

"… _**Yeah?"**_

"Well, I didn't actually know at the time, but my Knight is … Squall."

'_Squall …'_

"… _**So, you still love -"**_

"I always have loved him, Jamie. I just … wish I could apologise for leaving him."

'… _So do I, Rinoa. So do I.'_

--

"Hey, look, I've found someone!" Zell exclaimed exuberantly. The day after the encounter with Raphael and his henchmen, he and Squall had decided to try and dig the dirt on the man; trying to locate any of his family or distant relatives (assuming that they were not all deceased.) A week of fruitless searching and Zell was now currently located behind one of the many computer terminals around the room and Squall searching through files, that were meant to be confidential, in one of the many filing cabinets. The brunet ceased skimming through pages almost at once and looked to Zell.

"Who is it?" He said quickly, now making his way towards the screen.

"It says here her name's Charlotte - Charlotte Beaumont." Zell read from the screen then looked back to Squall. "His daughter?"

"We can't be sure," he answered. "But, she could have some information."

"Interview?" the blond prompted.

Squall simply shrugged in answer. "It's better than nothing."

--

Making his way out of the apartment he currently resided in, Seifer began to make his way towards one of the pubs located on the other side of the street. As pointless as it seemed, he wanted to wash his worries and the oncoming distress away. And one of the best ways for him to do that was by taking a drink, or a drag on one of his cigarettes, at the local pub.

In the back of his mind, however, he could not seem to help but worry about Jamie. A whole week had passed, but the doctors kept telling him that she was only improving slightly; usually tossing and turning and sometimes, they could even hear her muttering undecipherable words, as if she was speaking in another language. Well, they might think that she was improving but he, Seifer, thought that she was getting worse by each passing day.

His mind ached for a cigarette and he began to fish one out from his coat pocket when he suddenly bumped into a man. Looking back, he was just about to say something when the man bowed at him; his hands gesturing in a strange way, as if he was praying. Quickly assessing the man's appearance, Seifer guessed at him to be a sort of priest or preacher. The unknown man then simply walked off without another word and Seifer watched him for a second before his eyes were caught on an object that the man must have dropped.

"Hey, you dropped your -" The blond stopped as his eyes were caught, yet again, on something else. The thing he was holding in his hand appeared to be some sort of leaflet, persuading people to pray to and speak to Hyne, for 'He would answer your prayers' and all that jazz. The bold red letters were quite attention-seeking and Seifer found himself flicking through the words as if they were of no importance.

'_But, then again,' _he thought, _'maybe this "Hyne" would be able to help me out …'_

It was worth a try, right?

--

Doctor Lina Schwartz felt really let-down.

She had been operating for quite a while now, with bodies and such, and felt that she would be able to cure whoever may come her way. She even let her ego talk for her at times; always striving to be the best, always wanting to be respected and admired by her peers. But, her latest patient was proving to be pretty tricky.

The most she had done was toss around in the bed and mutter strange words under her breath. In fact, Lina was just tempted to get out of here and wonder why the hell she had let herself be talked into watching the brunette. But sometimes, she felt intrigued by her.

She couldn't explain it, but she sensed something; some sort of powerful aura emanating from the unconscious figure and every time she neared her, Lina would have one of those strange feelings, as if someone was trying to pull her back because approaching the figure was not the right thing to do.

So, she'd use most of her self-restraint and stop.

"Okay, I should stop doing that …" she breathed. "Must get back to work …"

However, as she turned back to her desk, she heard it again. "She's … coming …"

Lina turned back quickly. "… Say what?"

However, the figure stopped moving and didn't utter a sound after that. Lina watched her uncertainly before turning back to her desk.

'_Note to self: must kill Camden when he gets here.'_

--

After locating the necessary details, Squall and Zell had decided to pay a visit to the female somehow related to Beaumont. After leaving the lavish blue convertible, the two made their way up the steps and knocked on the black door, Zell eyeing most of the plants there. Whoever she was, she seemed to be living it relatively big.

They heard the sound of feet pattering against the floor and watched as a female, of about 19, opened the door. Clad in a simple baggy T-shirt and jeans, she was not someone who Squall had expected would be related to someone like Beaumont, with her fiery red spikes and crisp green eyes.

Upon catching sight of them, her eyes immediately went wide and she began babbling. "Oh - uh - whoezer you look for, he not here! **Non, non, non**! Me think you must go; **oui, oui, oui**!"

Squall and Zell looked at one another and then back at her, who was still exclaiming wildly. Zell tried to cut through most of her babbling: "Hey, wait, we -"

However, a cry of pain was heard as she began to curse vehemently. "Ouch, you bloody thing! Why the hell you hafta do that for, huh?! Go back home, you stupid dog!"

Zell was too busy trying to identify the 'stupid dog' that had hurt the redhead to notice what Squall heard. "… What happened to your accent?"

"Worthless mutt, why you always hafta - Huh?" She stopped momentarily cursing and looked at Squall, her pain apparently forgotten.

"Your accent … What happened to it?"

"Oh! Uh …" She first looked at Squall, who was standing there with raised eyebrows, and then Zell, who was ruffling the Aussie's fur affectionately. With having found nothing to counter with, she simply said "Goodbye." Making to shut the door again, she stopped as Squall's foot connected with it, preventing her from closing it. With a sigh, she looked back at him.

"… Alright." And she allowed them entry.

--

_During the time she had been communicating with Rinoa, the place was shrouded in black. However, since the disconnection, her so-called 'haven' seemed to go back to its familiar, but blinding, white. However, when her vision returned, she saw Gehenna in front of her. And, what was more was that she was bound to some sort of wall behind her; the tight pressure exerting on her wrists and ankles preventing much movement from her._

_As she struggled uselessly, Gehenna looked back at her. "It was about time you stopped chatting."_

_Jamie glared at her. __**"Let me go, Gehenna."**_

_She laughed mirthlessly. "You really think I'd do that?"_

_Jamie said nothing as Gehenna continued to laugh. As soon as she had stopped, she looked at her prisoner once again. "No, I just wanted to show you something."_

"_**What?"**_

_Gehenna allowed Jamie to say no more as she extended her right arm, palm upward, and an image of an unfamiliar woman could be seen (although, due to her uniform, Jamie recognised her to be a doctor.) The image rippled for a few seconds, a circular chasm in contrast to the purely untouched white, and then the woman began moving. Jamie had no idea what was going on and was just about to express her confusion when something unexpectedly clicked. _

_Glaring at Gehenna, she firmly said, __**"No."**_

_Gehenna shrugged. "What? You want to get out of this coma as quickly as possible, don't you?"_

"_**I am not going to allow you to take possession of my body."**_

_She turned around and faced Jamie, her smirk still in place. "I've already possessed your mind; I'm sure your body wouldn't be too much of a challenge."_

_Jamie glared at her again and focussed on casting some Magic. After all, she was a Sorceress now, it should be pretty easy, right? The ball of Fire lingered near the palm of her hand for a moment before Jamie flicked it at Gehenna, who sensed the Magic and cast a Protect spell easily, to repel the incoming orb; the blue barrier flashed as the ball came in contact of it and Jamie watched as her feeble spell disappeared into nothingness._

"_Pathetic," Gehenna commented as she frowned at Jamie. Stretching her arms to each side, she allowed the white to envelope her before she disappeared. "Don't overstretch yourself," she cackled and disappeared from Jamie's view, who then watched the slightly-blurred image of the lady. However, she frowned slightly when the image became more focussed and the female doctor turned her head slightly ('Maybe she heard something,' Jamie thought and continued to watch.) Apparently, the doctor didn't think so, as she dismissed it with a shake of her head. _

_Jamie had never felt so useless as she continued to watch the doctor from her own eyes._

--

Lina had just about had it. First, the patient was twitching in her sleep and now, she was muttering complete nonsense under her breath. It was usually around the lines of 'She's coming' and 'All hail Hyne.' Okay, so Lina wasn't the most religious person, but she knew who Hyne was.

'_Doesn't mean I'll "hail" Him, though …'_

The mutter came again, though it sounded much hoarser than before: "You're … next …"

'_Okay, that's it …' _

Despite being a patient, Lina did not appreciate the fact that it kept muttering crap. Either this was all a prank or she had a nutcase on her hands. Taking a pen off her desk (although she had no idea how helpful it was going to be, if the female was some serial killer), she swiftly turned around, only to be greeted by a blast of wind thrust against her. She screamed as the force of the spell sent her crashing against her desk and the last thing she saw was the patient leave through the sliding door before her world turned to black.

--

Squall had left for his car a couple of seconds before Zell, who seemed to be quite interested in the dog. _'No doubt a dog-lover, like -'_

"Yo, Squall? Didn't that dog look kinda familiar to you?" Zell asked.

"Does it matter? It's just a dog …" Squall dismissed. The last thing he needed on his mind was dogs.

"No, but … It kinda looked like … you know …" Zell pressed on.

Squall turned to Zell and shrugged with one shoulder. "Zell, there could be loads of dogs that look like that. It doesn't matter," he added, as Zell looked like he was going to interrupt.

The blond slumped his shoulders. "Okay … I'll just forget about it," he surrendered and began to follow Squall, when the brunet suddenly stopped, causing the blond to bump into him.

"Hey man! What'd you stop for?" He said angrily whilst massaging his nose.

But Squall wasn't listening, his eyes on the brunette that had just left and re-entered one of the house.

"… Sis?"

--

A/N: DUN-DUN-DUN! I know, I know; major plot twist (Please don't kill me!) Anyway, as usual, reviews are appreciated very muchly!

Ash XX


	11. Keep your Enemies Closer

Chapter 11: Keep Your Enemies Closer

**Disclaimer**: I only own Jamaila, Gehenna and anything else you don't recognise.

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

**Chapter 11**: Keep Your Enemies Closer

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

Seifer's feet took him to his next destination, rather than his head. It was as if his mind wasn't processing what was happening and became a passenger, rather than the driver, of his body. The scenery seemed to change, as the alleyway he made his way through opened up into an arched door which seemed to be past its time; as the trees seemed to overshadow it. Ducking down so that the branches didn't hit his head, Seifer pushed open the door, which gave way to more branches, each one seeming to want to engulf his destination.

And on he walked.

His trudges generally became much more forced as he felt his irritation seep back in. What he was irritated at, he didn't know. But, he was irritated and that was all that mattered.

Fuck, now he was getting irritated at the fact that he had to think of what (or who) he was irritated at in the first place.

Maybe it was the branches, he thought, as a branch was so kind as to slap his arm. Brushing it away, he began to manoeuvre his way towards the arch-shaped hole; his destination, a place where the useless slinked away to and drank away their sorrow and worries, if only temporarily.

Seifer had lumbered upon this place when he had left Raphael's men running, some months previously. Hell, he was never a very good time-keeper anyway, so the timing was not very accurate. But, that Caleb was one heck of a guy to deal with.

His way of greeting usually involved a couple of shattered glasses and a bear hug that would rival the Wendigos'.

Allowing space for him to enter the cave-like structure, Seifer crouched down before continuing on his way, the cave illuminated by the lights cast by the fiery lamps. His hands searched for the familiar, but not always reliant, trapdoor. It was only because of this that the hideaway was safe.

Actually, it was only because of the trapdoor that the hideaway was even a hideaway in the first place.

Finding it, he grabbed the dusty handle with his right hand and using most of his strength, he heaved open the trapdoor, giving himself a view of the ladder that undoubtedly led down to the place where he felt more comfortable at.

Well, actually, the most comfortable he had felt in a long time.

He climbed down the ladder with ease; first taking his steps down one by one, and jumped down from the ladder when he was on the penultimate step. Pushing open the (last) door, Seifer's destination was finally unveiled. It was a bar, of sorts. Well, it wasn't actually as welcoming as the usual bar, but it had all the right benefits. All around the bar, people were littered all around the room; some slumped haphazardly on the floor, and some still seated on their stools, pining over some lost Gil or a lost lover.

In one person's case, however, it was a lost tooth.

The tables were stacked with bottles of alcohol, champagne … you name it, it was there. There was even a nice fireplace glowing in the corner and Seifer watched the flames flicker for a moment before he made his way to the counter, where a scruffy-looking man was cleaning a glass. Although, due to the dirtiness of the cloth he was cleaning with, it appeared to be doing much more bad than good.

Seifer internally hoped that he hadn't cleaned all the glasses with that dishcloth. That would affect exactly how he felt about this place.

The man stopped wiping the glass to assess the male who had come towards the counter and, upon recognizing his face, he grinned, his yellowing teeth fully visible.

"Well, well, well … if it isn't the little lapdog."

Seifer grinned, his teeth much whiter, making his grin all the more charming. "Nice to see you too, Caleb."

The man called Caleb chuckled good-naturedly before grabbing Seifer in a firm hug. Seifer obliged all too willingly; he knew just what Caleb thought of people who rejected his hugs.

The older man let go after a couple of seconds and, after assessing Seifer's appearance, commented critically, "You seem to be going through a rough time."

Seifer sighed. "… Yeah, guess you could say that."

"Why? What troubles you got this time?" Caleb asked as he went back to his counter. He picked up his ragged dishcloth and placed it under the counter, where he began to fumble for something. "Is it something I'll have to pay for? You know, to cover for you again? Oh, wait – don't tell me …" He chuckled again before making eye-contact with Seifer. "Girl troubles?"

"What? Oh, no, nothing like that," he began and Caleb continued to chuckle. "No, it's just …" He stopped and thought of Jamie. How much was his prayer going to help her? He was going to think about it some more, then instantly halted his train of thought. He was not exactly the most faithful to Hyne, what with his share of sins and crimes committed. But, the thought of Jamie in a coma had persuaded him to do something; even go so far as to pray for her safety.

'_But, why the fuck would Hyne listen to me?_' He thought anxiously. '_I mean, I've done nothing for Him …_' He then decided to voice this concern to Caleb, who looked slightly bemused.

"Hyne? You prayed to Hyne?" Caleb rose back into a standing position, apparently forgetting about the thing he had been looking for. "What for? Don't tell me you've become a preacher …"

Seifer sighed, remembering exactly why he had felt irritated as he had made his way here. "Look, Cale, do I strike you as the preaching type? No, it was … a favour - to a friend."

Caleb raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more. Seifer wondered whether or not he was that predictable. The dark-haired male simply scratched his chin.

"So, this friend … she a preacher, then?"

Seifer didn't ask how Caleb had realized that he was referring to a female, but decided to not let it bother him. "No, Cale, she's not a preacher. If you must know, she's …" He couldn't find it in himself to admit to something that he believed was not going to happen, so simply opted for, "Well, she's in trouble. So I thought, what the fuck, I'll pray for her. And, so I did."

"And has it helped?"

He shrugged helplessly. "Might have, might have not. I haven't checked on her yet."

Caleb stared at him some more, as if he could sense that there was more to this then what he was letting on, but, again, he didn't say anything. Instead, he kneeled down and resumed searching for … whatever he had been searching for. Due to his height, Seifer could see the dark-haired man push bottles here and there and was just going to ask him for a refreshment, when the man stood back up and placed the artefact on the counter. Seifer cocked his head to one side.

It was a gold chain, which had a gold ring dangling down from it. He took hold of the chain and brought it up, so that he could examine it more closely. However, after a few seconds of staring at the piece of gold, he realised that it really wasn't all that interesting, anyway. Well, not to him; but he knew that most women loved stuff like this.

'_Heh, could come in handy as a gift …_' What was he thinking? Seifer Almasy didn't do gifts. Taking was his policy. This explains why he's not one to commit to a relationship.

"How exactly did you get a hold of this?" Seifer asked, and looked back at Caleb. A guy like him with an artefact that like was … pretty disturbing; what, was he collecting gold necklaces or something?

Caleb shrugged off-handedly. "Well, I found it here a couple of months ago. The guy who had owned it never came back for it." He shrugged again. "To be honest, I don't even remember what he looked like."

Seifer took Caleb's pause as a sign to continue examining the necklace. He realized that it looked similar to Rinoa's necklace, but was gold rather than silver. Gesturing the artefact, he looked back at Caleb.

"You need this?"

"What?" Caleb then shook his head. "Nah, you – you keep it," he said, then his face split into a yellow-toothed grin. "Why, thinkin' of giving that to your girl?"

Rather than giving him the satisfaction, Seifer chose to simply ignore him and wrapped his fingers around the amulet, about to store it in his pocket. However, his eyes were drawn to the inscription that was on the inside.

He squinted at the lettering, recognizing the foreign transcript of the Estharian written language.

"Hey, there's something written here."

Caleb moved forward, so that he could also read the message.

"Yeah, seems to be written in the old Estharian tongue."

Seifer squinted at the words some more, as if he would be able to force them to translate into the common Balambian tongue, but gave up when they decided to not co-operate. However, his thoughts then strayed to the eccentric scientist who kept babbling about Sorceresses:

**_/ "Zey are both ze most revered and ze most feared humans in ze world. Zheir powers, zho … phenomenal. I vould zay zat I am ze only person zat 'as ever ztudied zem …" /_**

Seifer focussed back on his surroundings and looked back at Caleb, sudden understanding sinking in.

"Odine …" He said dazedly.

Caleb frowned. "Huh?"

"Odine …" Seifer repeated. Then, he shook his head, as if coming out from a stupor.

"How long would it take to get to Esthar?"

"What?!" Caleb looked positively alarmed.

"I said -"

"Hey, I know what you said, but - Esthar?" Caleb shook his head. "No way, Almasy, nothin' doin'."

Seifer felt all hope sap from his being as he stared back at the letters inscribed on the pendant. Caleb's gaze softened as his eyes absorbed the sight of Seifer's form.

Caleb has always admired Seifer's reckless spirit; the way he'd easily disabled the two goons that were pursuing him. The dark-haired male distinctively remembered how Seifer had also incapacitated something else of the goons'.

Well, there goes their dream of becoming fathers.

Caleb sighed. Seifer still didn't say anything and just stared at the amulet, as if it was bound to give him answers to all this.

"Look, Almasy …"

Seifer looked up at him, as if wanting him to say more.

Caleb scratched the back of his head; he was bad at this whole 'sympathy' stuff. "Well … if you really want to go to Esthar, I don't exactly know how you're gonna be able t'get there. But - hey," he quickly amended when he saw the blond male's shoulders slump, "I hear that Marius should know -"

His sentence flew out the door, just like the golden-haired blur that ran out as soon as Caleb spoke those words. He cursed silently and then proceeded to pass a bottle of gin to a regular, who sat slumped on the counter, his coat hood obscuring most of his face.

Caleb frowned at the door. '_That kid's gonna get himself into a whole lotta trouble if he stays this persistent._'

Then again, Seifer always got into trouble, no matter how big.

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

Squall couldn't find it in himself to knock on the door, so Zell did it instead. Whilst waiting for the door to open, Squall folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the brick wall, sudden thoughts flowing through his head.

As much as he wanted to see her again (though he would never admit it to himself), he was hoping that he hadn't seen her enter the house. Squall was uncomfortable enough with breaking silences that usually hung over the air and was usually the cue for one of them to apologise for broken dreams or trust, but with reuniting with someone you thought you had lost … Squall wanted to shake his head and make those thoughts go away. However, as he wished this, the door swung open.

Ellone seemed to be similarly shocked, as her eyes grew a fraction wider for a second before she hastily rearranged her features to a small, bemused smile. "Squall," she breathed. Squall simply nodded in acknowledgement.

A silence passed.

The unease was as stagnant as air but must have also been contagious; as even Zell was rather uncomfortable about the whole ordeal (and that was saying something, since he was regarded as the 'cheeky-assed clown' by some of his peers) and simply shuffled in discomfort.

After a moment, Ellone cleared her throat, in an attempt to wipe out the poignant silence. Needless to say, it didn't exactly work.

"So, um, would you like to come in?"

Squall inclined his head slightly and moved inside after Zell and, like a hawk, observed his surroundings: the walls were a beige colour and a potted plant sat in the corner; a desk, inhabited by a night-lamp and a little directory book; and a wooden chair, with a maroon-coloured cushion, was placed beside the desk. He passed the entrance hall, which was not that large, in a couple of long strides and reached the living room.

The living room was quite spacious: again, the walls were beige; a painting of Ellone's hometown, Winhill, hung there; the rectangular windows were draped with cream-coloured curtains; a Persian rug lay snugly underneath a glass coffee table, where a vase of flowers rested; both the couch and armchair were chocolate-brown and had maroon cushions resting atop it; and the décor was complete with an unlit fireplace. Squall looked up at the cubical chandelier that hung above their heads, and then made himself comfortable on the couch.

Ellone shifted her position on the armchair slightly before turning back to Squall. "So … how are you?"

"Fine," came the one-word answer.

Ellone sighed softly. She had been expecting that, but it didn't make it any easier to deal with it.

Zell, deciding that the time was right to intervene, intended to sound enthusiastic. "So, uh, Elle, how's everything?"

Ellone stared at Squall for a couple of seconds before looking back at Zell. "Oh, I'm fine, Zell. How have you been?"

Zell grinned. "Me? I've been as fine as a Moogle!" Upon catching sight of Ellone's amused expression, he mumbled, "Got that from Irvine."

Ellone giggled. "I should've guessed." She looked back at Squall, who refused to look up and meet her eyes. Maybe if she just asked him …

"Squall?"

No reply. Ellone sighed to herself before continuing.

"Listen, I … I know you might be angry. But, I do have a reason of why I didn't tell you that I was living here …"

As if Hyne had something to show to Squall, He decided to introduce another person into the scene. "Um, Ellone, I - Oh my God …"

Squall raised his head and stared at the wall. The owner of that voice must have recognized his uniform as surely as he recognized that voice.

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

Seifer strode through the streets, his legs beginning to ache from all the worthless running he had just been doing. Where the fuck was Marius when he needed him?

Somewhere behind him, he thought he heard someone breathe his name and looked back swiftly. A cat's running form greeted him.

"Fuck it …" He muttered to himself and cursed even more when the wind picked up in ferocity. This part of the town was unusually quiet. Seifer shivered involuntarily.

'_Feels like a fuckin' horror movie …_'

His eyes, however, were then drawn to the shoes of the person who stepped outside of the shadows. Black pants hugged their legs and the black trench-coat tails rose and fell with the wind. But his eyes lingered most on the familiar face that stared back at him coldly.

'_Holy shit …_'

Seifer watched her run a hand through her hair, before placing his two fists in front of him, and watched as she placed herself similarly. Focussing more on defending against her oncoming blows, Seifer barely had time to protect himself from the roundhouse kick she sent his way. Holding a hand out, he grabbed her by her ankle and attempted to throw her off but she must have known what he was trying to do, as she used a sweep kick, which knocked the wind out off him.

Making to rise, he was just about to be met with a boot to the face when she stopped, her foot stationary. Seifer followed her line of sight and realized that something in his pocket was glowing.

'_The amulet …?_'

Placing his hand inside his pocket, he took out the amulet which, sure enough, was glowing; a sphere of gold surrounding the usually half-faded amulet. Seifer looked from the amulet back to his opponent, and watched as she seemed to shrink away from the light.

'_So she's scared of light, huh? This would frighten her more, then …_'

At once, he raised the amulet up towards her and observed the way she backed off; her head shaking wildly, causing most of her hair to cover her face. However, something he wasn't prepared for was the scream that she unleashed. It made the hairs, on the back of his neck, stand on end and he immediately placed his hands over his ears, hoping to Hell that it'd block the awful sound out.

After the screaming stopped, Seifer opened his eyes, cautiously removed his hands from his ears and got himself up from his position on the ground. His foe lay there, fallen; a mixture of clothes and hair lay sprawled on the ground, unmoving. Seifer warily moved towards her, with amulet still in hand, and was going to check her pulse. Holding out his hand, he reached for her hair when a sudden jerk from her alerted him.

'_Shit …_'

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

Rinoa stared at Squall and realized that what she had wanted to save for another day would actually have to be sorted out now: she'd have to explain to him.

"Squall."

He looked up at her. Her heart froze from the cold look in his eyes. Zell and Ellone's voices seemed so distant as she continued to look at the guy who swore he'd love her forever.

'_But you'd promised that you'd never leave him …_' Her conscience hissed.

Rinoa exhaled patiently. Real good time for her to grow a conscience, huh?

"Um, listen -"

"- To what?" There it was: that frozen look again.

Rinoa felt impatience sink in. "Squall, you aren't making this any easier -"

"- What - for you?" Squall rose from the couch, fury clouding his eyes. Ellone and Zell must have moved into the garden, leaving Rinoa alone. After examining his expression, she knew one thing for certain.

She had never been more scared in her life.

"Look, Squall, I'm sorry I never got to explain to you -"

"- Why you left? Because, I really want to know," he said as he advanced towards her, causing her to back up against the wall. He was so close now, his eyes as icy as glaciers … But there was something off about them -

"Well, I …" She faltered and bit her lip. However, Squall's growing impatience caused her to spit out the sentence she knew he wouldn't believe, "I'm a Sorceress, okay?!"

Something flitted across his eyes for a second before he settled his gaze on her, his blue-grey eyes outlined by a yellow -

'_What - yellow?!_'

Rinoa's eyes widened slightly, as if she was confirming something, and was just about to open her mouth, when -

"Hey guys … you okay?"

Squall and Rinoa simultaneously looked back at the door. Zell and Ellone regarded them both with curiosity and the raven-haired female knew why. Their position was conspicuously uncomfortable; as his body was inches away from her's, with her body pressed against the wall. She could even feel the heat radiate from his body.

Behind all the discomfort, though, she felt a little embarrassed as well.

"Um … yes, we're - we're just fine," she managed to say before Squall, also realizing the unease that she felt, moved back a few steps. After gazing at him for a few seconds, Rinoa noticed that his eyes were now devoid of the yellowish hue. He shook his head slightly, as if coming back to himself, and stared at Zell and Ellone before moving his eyes back to Rinoa.

Another uncomfortable silence prickled up and Rinoa looked down at the carpet, still trying to figure out how his eyes had turned that colour.

"Well …" Rinoa looked back up at the sound of Squall's voice. He was doing his best to look like he wasn't fazed by the contact, but Rinoa could sense his unease. "I guess we'll be going now. Zell," he said and inclined his head towards the door. Zell, getting the message moved towards Squall.

"Will you come again?" Ellone pleaded. "We really haven't had much quality time together."

Squall obviously didn't know what to say but as he looked at Rinoa, who gave him a small comforting smile, and Zell, who just grinned as usual, Squall then focussed on Ellone.

"… Sure, I'll be back," he nodded.

Ellone beamed. "Great! I feel so much better now!"

Squall smiled a little, the sort of smile that he had first given to Rinoa, and then motioned for Zell to open the door. After the door was open, the two left.

Ellone turned back to Rinoa. "Well … that wasn't too bad, was it?"

Rinoa sighed and shook her head.

'_If only you knew …_'

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

"Urgh …" She moaned. Her body felt as stiff as a board and as she made to rise up, her muscles began to ache, as if an invisible force was pinning her down. A gasp was elicited from somewhere above her and she forced her head to raise after she opened her eyes.

Seifer's face was mere inches from her own and, immediately, he withdrew his head back slightly. Jamie looked down at her body and raised herself up shakily; using Seifer for support. As he wound her left arm around his shoulders, he asked, "Are you alright now?"

Jamie winced. "Yeah, I'm … not that bad."

Seifer must have noticed the wince because he softened his grip. Jamie revelled in his grip for a couple of seconds before looking back up at him with a small smile.

"I guess I owe you, right?"

Seifer grinned. "Most definitely."

She allowed a small giggle to escape her lips before her eyes caught the shimmer of gold in his hand. "What's that?"

Seifer looked back down at the object that he clutched with his right hand. "Oh, that? It's an amulet I got from a friend."

Jamie looked back down at it, and wondered which one of Seifer's friends would have been able to afford something so pretty. Despite the gold looking like it had been scrubbed off (although that must have been the side-effect of being an antique), the yellowish-golden shimmer that it regularly gave off more than made up for it. Seifer, already knowing what question she was going to ask, raised the amulet to her level and allowed her to take it from his hands. She took a glance at the inscription inside and tried to make sense of it all.

"It's an Estharian transcript," Seifer said, "Hyne knows what it says, but -"

"Electus Unus," Jamie muttered.

"Huh?"

"Electus U - Seifer, check the back of my trenchcoat.

"What - why?" Seifer regarded her curiously.

"There's something written there. And I think -"

She did not need to finish the sentence. Seifer had released her, now that she was capable of standing by herself, and had moved to inspect the back of her trench-coat. Sure enough, the words 'Electus Unus' were inscribed at the back of her coat, as well as a three-sided symbol.

Not too curious about the symbol, Seifer moved back to his place beside her. "So, what the hell do those words mean?"

Jamie looked back at him. "… It means 'Chosen One'."

Seifer looked back at the two words and contemplated just what the hell Fate had in store for him and his comrades.

'Well … looks like shit hit the fan,' he thought matter-of-factly.

And maybe it had.

- x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x - x -

Author's Note: Well, I'd ask to Read and Review. But I'd trust you to do that, right?


	12. Pieces of a Puzzle

**Disclaimer: **I only own the following characters: Jamaila, Gehenna and Raphael (as well as some other minor characters). The rest, however, belongs to Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

x - o – x – o – x – o – x – o – x – o –

**Chapter XII: **_Pieces of the Puzzle_

x - o – x – o – x – o – x – o – x – o –

After the initial shock of the past events had worn off, Squall had decided to retire back to his apartment. Zell, meanwhile, still had lots of things to ask his companion.

"Um, Squall?"

No answer.

"You two … didn't have a fight, did you?"

Still no answer.

Zell sighed and slumped in his seat. Truthfully, it was no more than he had expected; Squall never bothered to tell much to his comrades. But, nevertheless, the blond still felt slightly offended at the brunet's lack of trust in him.

The two stayed quiet for most of the journey. It was only after about 15 minutes before the brunet broke the silence.

"Zell."

Well, he thought, at least he addressed me by my first name. "Yeah?"

"Nothing happened."

"Oh …" '_So that's it? __**That's**__ what you wanted to tell me?!'_ "That's good … I guess."

Zell looked back at the window and watched as the houses flew past them. Only after they turned a corner did Squall speak again.

"It's just …" Zell looked back at him, feeling a little hopeful. "I don't know what possessed me to feel so angry at her. I mean, she –"

"Hey, I understand, man. She was your girl and she left you – I'd feel peeved if someone did that to me," Zell explained and felt a rush of gratitude for the brunet seated beside him.

Squall smiled at Zell's words, grateful for the comfort. A couple more seconds passed before Squall called his name again.

"Hey, Zell?"

"Yeah?"

Squall allowed his smile to be seen by the blond beside him. "… Thanks."

Zell beamed back at him. "Hey, no prob'."

This silence was much better than the previous ones, for some form of understanding had been established by the two males. However, just as quickly as it had begun, the peace was then shattered, as the car in front had suddenly stopped; causing Squall to harshly brake and stop just millimetres away from the black vehicle in front.

Zell instantly began shouting as many curse words as possible whilst Squall tried to discover the reason for the traffic jam. However, a couple of seconds later, he found a very familiar female figure walking towards their vehicle. She must have recognized them too, because her eyes widened for a second before she moved to Zell's window. The blond pulled the window down and yelled "Hey Quistis!" in surprise. Quistis gave him a stern sort of look, as if he was her student and had disrupted the class with his yell, before looking back at Squall.

"So, how have you been?"

Squall gave her the iciest glare he could muster before sarcastically replying, "Oh, I've been good: chasing criminals, getting drunk; you get my drift."

Quistis didn't even bother to crack a smile. "Squall, I've heard of the hunt that you've been –"

"I'm doing it for no-one but myself, alright? It's a personal matter," Squall cut in. Quistis could sense his trepidation to trust in others, but decided not to comment on it. Instead, she simple shook her head and sighed.

'_Why must you always be so difficult, Leonhart?'_

A beep from behind alerted the trio and Quistis was about to approach the other vehicle when another figure came running past her. The two males positioned themselves so that they could see him better and, upon recognizing him, Zell turned back to look at Quistis, an appalled look on his face.

"You brought Taylor along? Taylor?! Didn't I just tell you that - ?!"

"Taylor happens to be trusted by the majority of the BPD," Quistis said, as if she was willing to start an argument with Zell. "He was then chosen to assist me in directing the traffic to take another route, since **someone** –" At this, she glared at Zell so blatantly that Zell had no choice but to listen, "- had not bothered to help me hunt down 'Mr. S'."

Squall, as an excuse to prevent Zell from retorting back, asked, "So, what's up with the traffic?"

Quistis looked back at Squall. "Well, there seems to have been an accident ahead, around Blackwood Avenue, with the result of a few casualties. So, we're waiting for the paramedics to arrive and transport them to hospital."

"Was it anything serious?" Squall asked and Zell, who knew that the two were engrossed in their own conversation, simply crossed his arms and huffed irritably.

"Well, aside from bleeding wounds and some possible fractured bones, I don't think there's anything else. We've already got a couple of trainee medics there to help ease the bleeding, but it's not enough; we still need –"

Quistis stopped there when she noticed Taylor running towards her. As he stopped to catch his breath, Quistis asked, "Are you okay?"

Taylor looked up from his bent position and faced his superior. "Actually … I just – saw someone –"

But at that moment, he was cut off by an explosive sound that seemed to come from behind one of the houses. As one, everyone looked back in that direction.

"What was that?" Zell asked sharply, before his head snapped back to look at Squall. The brunet simply shrugged helplessly: he was as confused as his companion.

Quistis, however, seemed to snap back to attention due to the sound, and her eyebrows folded more closely together; an expression of determination set on her pretty face. "Stay here, you two, I'll check out the source of the noise and –"

"I'll come with you!"

Quistis looked back at Taylor, surprised at his devotion to his job: admittedly, she had never thought a pampered boy like Taylor would even follow instructions, let alone follow an ally into the midst of the action. But now, as she stared at his olive-green eyes, she saw a passionate flame burning there.

'_Guess there's no stopping him …'_

The blonde smiled slightly before nodding to the dark-haired male. "Alright, Taylor; we'll both go and investigate. Squall, you and Zell will wait here and await further instructions."

Zell attempted to rise up from his seat; this was a futile gesture as his seatbelt was still preventing him from exiting, and the car doors were locked. Squall, however, recognized the intention of his action and placed a hand on the blond's shoulder. Looking directly at Quistis, he assured her that they would wait here. Not certain if she should believe him or not, Quistis simply nodded before hastening to the direction of the noise with Taylor.

It was only after the two left that Zell shoved Squall's hand away from his shoulder.

"The hell'd you say that for?! We're gonna miss all the action!"

Squall half-smiled before removing his seatbelt. "Yeah? Well, I'm through taking orders from her."

Zell stopped, halfway through removing his own seatbelt. "Huh?"

Squall looked back at him, an unusual glint in his eyes. "I'm not part of the BPD, remember?"

Zell was still frowning. "You're not – **Oh**." His confused expression was replaced by one of understanding; his lips parted and eyes wide.

Still with that half-smile on his face, Squall exited the blue vehicle. After removing his own seatbelt, Zell followed; he felt as active as ever and couldn't wait to be part of the action.

x - o – x – o – x – o – x – o – x – o –

As she felt that she didn't need any more assistance, Jamie was walking unsupported, with Seifer beside her. For some reason, her mind felt oddly blank; it was as if her mind was a book and that someone had torn some pages out from it. In any case, she couldn't remember the past events that had occurred and, every time she grasped at them, they seemed to slip through her fingers like sand; her memories were fuzzy and disoriented.

"Seifer?"

"Hmm?" His voice sounded distant, despite the fact that he was right beside her.

"What happened to me?"

Seifer looked down. "I dunno. One minute you were attacking me, and the next –"

"It's Gehenna."

Seifer looked back at her. "What?"

"Gehenna, she -"

She trailed off as she heard someone's footsteps growing nearer. Seifer heard them too and took a glance in that direction.

Neither of them was prepared for the sight that greeted them.

"Long time no see, yes?"

x - o – x – o – x – o – x – o – x – o –

Quistis felt a sense of unease wash over her, but had no answer as to the reason she felt that way.

She had parted with Taylor and had been searching for the noise for around 5 minutes, but all the houses she had glimpsed were not damaged in the slightest. Judging by the noise, it was something harmful, but there was no sign of a bomb graze of a fire, which confused Quistis but gave an excuse to attempt to gather information by asking around.

She had just turned a corner when something solid hit her face; causing her to yelp in pain and fall on the concrete. Wincing, the blonde brought her hand up to her face and stiffened as she felt blood pouring down her nose. She had always felt nauseous around blood, and today was no exception. Daring to open her eyes, she caught sight of a vaguely familiar figure.

Her mind must have been pretty damaged, or her eyes must have been playing tricks on her; it couldn't be who she thought it was. She was about to say something but, instead, she ended up coughing; the blood tasted like copper as it gurgled in her mouth and touched her lips.

The figure left her on the ground and, as her vision faded out, her last thought bubbled in her mouth.

"You … fucking bastard."

All she saw, then, was black.

x - o – x – o – x – o – x – o – x – o –

The two looked on as the blond advanced slowly towards them with a hungry grin on his face, as if he had located his prey.

Well, thought Jamie grimly, we are his prey, aren't we? Because we're unarmed and he's got that shotgun.

Raphael smirked at Jamie before looking back at Seifer.

"Well, well, well … Mr. S."

Seifer's jaw clenched as he glared at the man that he truly despised; from everything to his gelled-back hair to his white Galbadian shoes. All Seifer wanted to do was beat the shit out of him. **Then** he'd be able to go home satisfied.

"Look, about the last time …" He held up his hands in mock-surrender (which didn't exactly work; due to the fact he had a large shotgun in his right hand and he was grinning manically). "I'm sorry, okay?"

The only two words that came out of Seifer's mouth were "Fuck. You."

Raphael's grin faded and his arms limply returned to his side, his right hand securely wrapped around the shotgun. A glimpse at Jamie, however, caused his grin to return in full force.

"Jamaila … how wonderful to see you."

"Don't speak to me as if you know me," Jamie spat back at him.

However, the blond was unfazed. Placing the tail of the shotgun on his shoulder, he smirked at them.

"Now, if you'll just smile for me …"

His hand reached for the trigger and he watched as Seifer and Jamie attempted to duck.

"… and **die**!"

However, another bullet struck home, with a noise that pierced the air like a spear. Raphael grunted in pain and fell to a kneeling position; as the bullet grazed his shoulder and caused blood to spurt out not too long afterwards.

The trio looked back at the culprit of the shot. An enormous flood of relief washed over Jamie because she undoubtedly recognized the two.

'_Squall … Zell …'_

Zell grinned. "Hey, Jamie! You're not hurt or anything, are ya?"

Jamie smiled and shook her head before turning to look at his companion. However, he only had eyes for the blond clad in white.

Seifer smirked at him. "Captain Puberty, how have **you** been?"

Squall, aside from glaring at him, decided to ignore the childish remark. There was only one person who was going to get hurt today, and (for now) it wasn't Seifer.

Raphael began to groan, which alerted the four, and Squall and Zell instantly withdrew their pistols; hoping to silence him right here, right now.

The blond, who was clutching his shoulder with his good hand, hissed, "You assholes! I could kill you right now!"

"Well, you're not in a position to bargain, Ratface," Seifer smirked and mimicked Raphael's previous stance: with the rear end of the shotgun on his right shoulder. Raphael's eyes widened and he looked down, hoping to locate **his **shotgun. Predictably, it wasn't there.

"Game's up," Seifer continued. "So, tell me … how do I look in my moment of triumph?"

Raphael seemed to growl in his throat. "You bloody fools!"

At once, Squall felt himself burn on the inside. Inhaling sharply, he clenched his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists. What was happening to him? He felt as if he should **know **what was happening to him but, nevertheless, he was still confused about the strange power inside him; which seemed to be taking over him, devouring him, consuming him …

As he opened his eyes once more, he noticed the others' surprised reactions: he heard Jamie's startled gasp; he saw Raphael's wide and fearful eyes; and heard Zell's shocked whisper of "Oh, shit!"

With nothing but destruction on his mind, he moved towards Raphael, who was whimpering and cowering back from him, as if afraid the brunet may devour him. Squall felt an odd satisfaction as he relished in the fear he instilled in Raphael. Now, to finish him –

"Hey guys, it's Taylor!"

Zell's cry surprised him and Squall, along with the others, looked back at Taylor, who was striding towards them with an oddly triumphant look on his face.

Jamie sighed in relief at the sight of an ally, but Seifer regarded him warily.

Taylor, still with that smile on his face, fingered something in his pocket. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to come any closer, Squall."

Squall, whose body seemed to have been invaded by an external force, halted in his tracks. The others continued to watch silently; half-afraid of what was going to happen and half-anticipative of what was going to happen next.

"See, Raphael has done a lot for us at the BPD," Taylor said and his sneer grew. "I can't allow you guys to mishandle our most valuable asset, can I?"

Raphael did not pay much heed to what Taylor was saying but, instead, he hissed between his teeth, "Taylor, stop talking and get us out of here!"

Taylor's grin grew so wide that he looked as if he had just discovered something life-changing. "My pleasure."

"Hey, what the -?!" Zell screamed in confusion before smoke suddenly appeared and caused him to cough out the remainder of his words. It was after a couple of seconds that the smoke cleared and (to the others' dismay) both Raphael and Taylor had disappeared.

Seifer muttered "Fuck!" in anger and Zell said something about that "bloody traitor", but Jamie was at a loss for words: if the whole company was working with Raphael, then did that mean that he was cleared of his past charges? Or were they prepared to work with a criminal in exchange for money? Whatever the answer was, she still wanted to have a word with her father …

"So he was one of Raphael's henchmen …" Seifer muttered. He had not wanted to jump to conclusions so hastily, but that guy (_'Tad, or something …'_) had looked pretty shady to the blond from the get-go. If this was the way that the law enforcers operated, then he understood exactly why there were so many criminals around.

'_The criminals __**are **__the law, there's no fucking doubt about that …'_

Jamie looked back at Squall, who had not spoken at all. However, to be sure that he wasn't in that strange trance, she called his name softly.

"Squall? Squall, are you ok now?"

Squall snapped his head back to look at Jamie. It was a relief to see that the yellow outline around his irises had disappeared and, with a mute nod, he turned back to the direction of the road.

"… Let's go back. We'll decide on further actions, then."

Jamie tried to argue. "Yeah, but what about - ?"

"He's right, let's go," Seifer interrupted. Both Jamie and Zell looked shocked, as if Seifer agreeing with Squall on something was paranormal, but luckily didn't pursue the subject.

A couple of minutes later and the four were back on the road leading into Blackwood Avenue. As they neared the blue vehicle, Squall looked back at both Jamie and Seifer. "Alright, you two will both take this car."

Jamie looked confused. "But then where will you go?"

Squall shook his head. "Don't worry. Just go now before –"

"Squall! Zell!"

Quistis came jogging towards them, a tissue held up to her nose to help ease the bleeding. Upon catching sight of her, Zell inhaled sharply. "Whoa, what happened to**you**?"

Quistis stopped jogging and grimaced. "Got hit by something. I kept telling myself that –"

"Was it Taylor?" Squall inquired sharply.

"Taylor?" Quistis looked surprised. "Why would Taylor do something like this?"

Squall gave her a quick overview of what had happened moments before. By the end of it, Quistis looked scandalised.

"I don't believe this! I really don't believe -" She stopped at the sight of the two behind Squall and Zell.

"Jamie … Seifer?"

Jamie smiled awkwardly and Seifer attempted to mock-salute her. "Hey, Superior!"

Quistis looked back at Squall sternly, as if she was demanding an explanation but, judging from the look on Squall's face, it didn't look like she was going to getone real soon. Zell jabbed his hand in the air. "We should be heading back now. Everything's sorted here … for now, anyway."

Quistis nodded. "I've got a car we could take back." She then looked back at Seifer and Jamie. "But what - ?"

"They'll be going back on the convertible," Squall informed her and, as an answer to her horrified look, added, "They wouldn't dream of wrecking it."

Jamie, against her will, turned to look at Seifer. It wasn't that she didn't trust him but sometimes Seifer allowed his more … enthusiastic side to get the better of him. Seifer, however, was doing his best to look like he would never dream of wrecking his rival's car.

Suffice to say, it didn't work.

As Squall threw the vehicle's keys to Seifer, who deftly caught them with one hand, Quistis gestured behind her. "The car's parked over there somewhere. Let's go." And with that, they were off.

Jamie and Seifer watched them go before they entered the blue vehicle. Jamie looked at Seifer, who was making himself comfortable in the driver's seat.

"… Please – promise me you won't mess the car up."

Seifer looked astonished. "Jamaila, I can't believe you think that way about me."

Jamie rolled her eyes and then smiled. "Come on, let's go."

And as they drove off, Jamie tried to connect the events with a plausible conclusion: The real villain, that deserved to be trapped behind bars (Raphael), had somehow persuaded the BPD to work alongside him and, in the process, placed forces to search for the first one that had already known what he was planning (Mr. S/Seifer). And, as if that wasn't enough, a mysterious woman (Gehenna) decided to use (Jamie) as her own marionette.

The brunet rubbed her forehead in irritation._ 'The plausible conclusion – We're doomed.' _

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Author's Note: Don't forget to Read & Review!

Ash xx


	13. Savoir Faire

**Disclaimer**: I only own Jamaila and any other minor OCs that may be mentioned. The rest belongs to Squaresoft/Square-Enix.

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**Chapter XIII: **_Savoir Faire_

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His head had been occupied with what had just happened: his hands were still shaking from the sudden sensation that had overcome him, as he had advanced towards Raphael.

Just _what _had come over him?

The car window was down, causing the breeze to spill in and play with his chocolate-brown hair. He shook his head to rid himself of the strands that made their way to his face.

"-taking us to HQ?" Zell's voice shook him out of his thoughtful trance.

With a glance at Squall, Quistis nodded before answering. "Yes, Irvine's waiting for us there. With any luck, he should have obtained some more information about Raphael."

Squall turned to Quistis, a frown settled on his face. "And what will you do with the information obtained?"

Quistis's hands turned the steering wheel to the right, and the car entered the side road. "Well, we're actually planning to take him to court. However, because of the lack of evidence we have, there wouldn't be much of a chance of him actually serving time in prison."

Zell chose that time to intervene. "Or, we could tell Cid. After all, he's the boss – he deserves to know."

Squall turned his head to look back out the window. He already had a vague idea of where Cid's loyalties truly lay.

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The breeze ruffled their hair as the convertible sped towards its destination. The driver was simply focusing on getting to HQ as quickly as possible; it was the passenger who was attempting to assess the current situation.

For most of her comrades, Raphael was the biggest priority for them, and they were planning to silence him and put a stop to his 'power cruise'. For Jamaila, however, she had another demon she needed to fight, a monster planning to spread her influence inside the brunette's body.

Gehenna spread like a virus, her essence corrupting the normal activities of Jamaila's body; a poison slowly taking away the life-force of the brunette. It had taken both Jamaila's spirit and willpower to help push Gehenna's force back, and she was now contained in Jamaila's body, like a bird trapped in a cage. Jamaila assumed that because of the necklace, that now hung loosely around her neck, the 'spirit' was now forced to stay put, which had certainly helped Jamaila regain control of her body. The most that troubled her now was the occasional spasm of entering the haven of nothingness and peering through dormant, expressionless eyes …

Luckily, she'd go back to her right mind before anything too _serious _happens.

Seifer's mindset, meanwhile, focused on the people that usually gave him a hard time: in this case, it was Raphael 'Rat-Face' Beau-something-or-other.

With that sneaky scoundrel shuffling around the Department HQ, there was no way that Seifer would be able to bust in and crack the fucker's head open.

After all, who would believe that he was the _innocent _one?

Granted, he had never been a saint when he had first enrolled into the Balamb Police Department. His days had usually been filled with encounters with women, pudgy drunkards and a dog or two. His sense of purpose had been blurred: he felt that his goal was to become both feared and admired by men and women everywhere.

Admittedly, that was why he joined the BPD in the first place; he had wanted to use a gun, and the police department provided him with one. He had wanted to chase, hunt down and (sometimes) kill people, and the police department gave him that opportunity.

It was only after he had met Jamaila that he had wanted to gamble his chances.

Jamaila was beautiful, which was the primary reason he had been slightly attracted to her. However, in Jamaila, he had also seen a chance to reshape her; she was slightly headstrong, but had always openly displayed her defects and weaknesses.

And Seifer Almasy _hated _weakness.

He taught her stuff, too. Not academic-styled lessons, but lessons in fortitude, determination and dealing with hardships. In her, he saw a companion, someone who was, for once, trying to encourage him, to help him. He had never been motivated much to actually stand up for himself in life; that determination had stemmed from the abuse he had to face from his good-for-nothing father.

Glancing to the side, he noticed the way the breeze blew her hair behind her, so that it looked like a honey-blonde scarf. Looking back at the road, he noticed that they had almost arrived at their destination.

It had been a while he had stepped foot inside the building. Regardless of its absence for the last couple of months, he still reflected on the place as home; there were so many memories stored in his mind, of the adventures and the romance and the car chases and-

He had missed it.

He turned into the parking bay that had been reserved just for cops and parked the car in a vacant bay spot. Jamaila turned her head and looked uncertainly at him.

"Um, Seifer, are we allowed to park here?"

Seifer shrugged. "Sure, it's not like we weren't cops once upon a time."

Jamaila continued to frown at him when he exited the car, apparently satisfied with the parking spot. She rolled her eyes and exited the car when he looked at her expectantly.

It was typical of him to not follow the rules, as it had been a 'habit' of his since early childhood. Unfortunately, though, this 'habit' was not going to be broken.

Reluctantly, she followed her partner and the duo made their way towards the building. As they mounted the steps, Jamaila felt even more uneasy; was Seifer planning to _bust _in?

"Um, Seifer?"

The blond turned, his lips turned to a slight frown.

"Are we … going to bust in?"

Seifer grinned. "Ooh, rebellious. Whatever gave you _that _idea?"

The brunette frowned. "… _Are _we?"

Seifer shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. We're gonna sneak in the back way."

Jamaila raised an eyebrow. The safer, but longer, route … was this the Seifer she knew?

The blond, meanwhile, was planning to get a head-start. "Come on," he gestured with his hand, and then jogged towards the back of the building. Sighing, the brunette followed.

The bland hallway stretched out like a piece of rope, with no doors or windows. Paying this no mind, the two made their way past the hallway, and turned at the bend. However, the sight that next greeted them was no treat; there seemed to be an infinite block of stairs lined up, upon which the duo would have to climb in order to reach their destination.

"We have to climb … all these?" Jamaila gasped.

Seifer exhaled. "Yep."

"How can you be so calm about this?! It'll take us _ages _to get up there." Jamaila turned her head to look her comrade in the eye: this was definitely not the Seifer she knew.

Or rather, _thought _she knew.

Seifer decided to ignore her. "C'mon, the faster we get up there, the faster we'd be able to kick Rat-face outta here."

Jamaila sighed, as Seifer rushed up the stairs. Mumbling distastefully, she was soon forced to follow.

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Quistis exited the vehicle first, closely followed by Zell and then Squall. Looking back up at the building, the blonde female seemed to be weighing up their options.

There was no use in risking Squall, so it would be much better for him (not to mention, them) to stay in the vehicle, well-hidden and inconspicuous. Turning back to notify the two males of the plan, she saw nothing but the car standing there.

As she turned her head back towards the building, she noticed both Squall and Zell running towards the entrance. "Hey!" She called, alarmed.

The two males stopped and turned to look at her, the brunet looking slightly annoyed. Zell looked to Quistis and then Squall and then back to Quistis, obviously under the impression that another argument could be brewing.

"We can't just charge in – you especially, Squall!"

Squall's eyebrows creased together. "Why not? I want to get that man and-"

"That's not going to help you solve the issue, Squall!"

Zell placed both his hands up. "Guys-"

Squall glared. "Oh, so you have a better idea?"

Quistis resisted the urge to place her face in her hands. "Look, just wait inside the vehicle, all right?"

Zell stared off into a figure that was approaching them. "Um, guys-"

Squall raised his voice slightly. "Look, I'm not under your command anymore, so-"

"Guys!" Zell shouted over them. Squall and Quistis stopped their argument and noticed Taylor walking towards them, with a pistol in hand.

"Holy-!" Zell didn't have time to finish the curse, as the trio jumped out of the way of the bullet. Quistis ripped the stagnant pistol out of its holster, hoping to at least wound the man that had had a pre-emptive strike over her.

Taylor quickly switched targets, and began showering Squall with bullets. Luckily for the brunet, they all missed him, as he rolled out of the way of the impending bullets. Zell took out his own pistol from its holster, and began shooting Taylor.

The blond seemed to have underestimated Taylor, who was considerably fast and had dodged almost all of the bullets. However, one of Zell's later bullets penetrated his skin, causing him to double over in pain and grab his shoulder.

"You fucking-" Taylor exhaled for the last time as Quistis' bullet struck home, and he fell back, blood gushing out of his body like a river. His eyes seemed to be absorbing the shock for a few seconds, until his head tilted to the side, eyes deadly empty.

Quistis stared down at him with an expression akin to disgust, before looking back at Squall and Zell. "Let's go."

The two males had no choice but to comply.

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They had been going up … up … up …

… And yet, they still hadn't reached their destination.

They had both rested for a while, enough to help their legs resume their mantra of 'up, up, up …'

Inwardly cursing the amount of steps there were (despite the fact she didn't know how many there were), Jamaila began to push her legs forward, willing herself to follow Seifer's slightly larger leaps up the steps. Her trench coat whipped behind her, as if a breeze was blowing, and her sweaty hair clung to her face like seaweed; she had no idea why she had decided to adorn herself in the garment.

Then again, she wasn't exactly in her right mind then.

Seifer puffed. "Fucking … stairs are … killing me …"

Jamaila slowed down her pace, the necklace bouncing and hitting her neck after every step. "Yeah, I … can't wait for … us to-"

Some voices were heard towards the distance, which alerted Jamaila and Seifer at once. Looking at each other, the duo felt more motivated to climb all the steps, because they knew there were other people there.

Running nearer, they caught sight of the owners of the voices – Squall, Zell, Quistis … and was that Raphael and-?

Jamaila frowned. Great, now she'd be able to have that chat with him …

"Please, Squall …" Cid seemed to be pleading. "I can't let you-"

"Cid …"

"You guys should just give up," Raphael's voice blared out. "You already know whose side he's on!"

Quistis screamed. "Why, you-!"

"You're GOING DOWN!"

Jamaila's eyes widened before she looked back at Seifer. "We have to help them!"

Seifer nodded, thinking along the same line. "Yeah, let's go!"

The two rushed out of their hiding place, and absorbed the scene. Zell and Quistis were planning to rush Raphael, and Squall had got his pistol out, hoping to silence the sneak here and now …

He aimed … and fired.

Raphael, sensing the bullet coming his way, whipped around and placed himself behind Cid, who had just noticed the bullet …

**Too late.**

Jamaila screamed soundlessly, as she watched her father's body drop to the floor, his face drained of life … just like her soul.

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Author's Note: Okay, I know it's quite abrupt, but … I'm thinking of making this the penultimate chapter. Since I don't seem to have many people interested in this fic, I gathered there's not much point for me to type this out, apart from an excuse for me to – uh – 'express myself'. Yeah …

But, thanks for sticking with me this far!

Ash XX


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